Graham Watson says Ireland may have to leave EU if it votes No again

British MEP and leader of the Liberal group in the European Parliament Graham Watson has warned that Ireland may have to leave the EU if it votes No for a second time in a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The Irish Times quotes him saying, “It is very difficult to see any country being able to stay in if they have had two Nos from the people”. He also warned that, “It would be very difficult to get large companies to invest in a country that looked as if it might be leaving the EU. I think it would have a social impact as well and, of course, it would call into question the future of the EU agency that is based in Ireland”.

He goes on to say that the European Liberal Democrats (ELDR) would contribute money to the second Lisbon referendum campaign if Irish PM Brian Cowen’s party Fianna Fail asked for financial help. Fianna Fail last week announced it would join the ELDR before European elections in June.

Meanwhile, On BBC Online, as part of a series of viewpoints on EU issues, Open Europe’s Lorraine Mullally argues that the EU Lisbon Treaty “is bad news for Europe”. She notes that, “It is a myth that the EU Lisbon Treaty will strengthen democracy in Europe”, quoting the President of the German Constitutional Court, who has said the Treaty's provisions for national parliaments are “ineffective” and “impractical”, and the cross-party House of Commons EU Scrutiny Committee, which said: “We doubt the significance of the 'greater opportunities' for national parliaments to be involved in any meaningful manner in the workings of the EU”. She also notes that judges at the German Constitutional Court have recently pointed out that the Treaty involves a clear extension of the EU's competences, with one asking “whether it would not be more honest to just proclaim a European federal state”.

How much more incentive do the Irish have to vote no again?