Update: It's official! Ireland has voted to reject the EU's Lisbon Treaty by 53.4% to 46.6%. The result has just been announced live from Dublin Castle.The outcome of the only opportunity people have been given to express their opinion on the Lisbon treaty is a resounding "NO"! But it follows rejections by France and the Netherlands of the treaty's "substantially equivalent" predecessor - the EU Constitution.
Gordon Brown must now consult his "moral compass" and resolve to respect the democratically expressed views of the Irish people - by halting ratification of the Lisbon treaty through our own Parliament.
The ratification Bill is due for its Third Reading on 18 June. That must not happen. He knows that Britain would also vote 'No' resoundingly, given the chance.
Will Gordon Brown respect democracy or not? That treaty should be dead.
The Democracy Movement is holding a ‘congratulatory picket’ of the Irish Embassy (17 Grosvenor Place, SW1X 7HR - see map) to celebrate the overwhelming rejection of the EU Constitutional Treaty. Please come along to join us - we'll be there from 6pm onwards and will distributing free cans of Guinness (while stocks last!).
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Update: With 27 constituency results now in out of 43 total, the result stands at 53.6% 'No' -v- 46.4% 'Yes', but there are still some results due in constituencies that are likely to have strong 'Yes' votes.
Update: The BBC is reporting that the Irish justice minister Dermot Ahern has conceded defeat.
"It looks like this will be a No vote," Mr Ahern said on live television. "At the end of the day, for a myriad of reasons, the people have spoken."
With six official results in the overall result is 55% 'No' against 45% 'Yes'.
Gordon Brown must respect the Irish verdict and immediately halt ratification of the treaty through Parliament. The treaty is due for its Third Reading on 18 June.
Update: RTE is saying "It seems certain that Irish voters have rejected the Lisbon Treaty." Although official results are only just coming in, the strong 'No' vote coming through in early tallies has obviously influenced their prediction.
Update: Official results are starting to come in from constituencies, with first off the mark being Waterford voting 54% 'No' to 46% 'Yes'. See the results come in on the Irish Times results map.
Update: The Irish Times is reporting that the initial tallies indicate an overall 'No' vote, despite a strong showing for the 'Yes' side in some constituencies.
They're saying "A strong Yes vote in County Dublin seems to have been offset by a strong No vote in city constituencies in the capital" with "The No campaign appears to be winning in most constituencies across the State, with significant majorities emerging from rural and urban working class areas."
Update: RTE is reporting that the 'Yes' camp is gaining ground against an early strong 'No' showing. They are citing a 60-40 vote in favour of Lisbon in "middle class constituencies like Dublin South, Dublin South East and Dún Laoghaire".
Official results from the constituencies are expected over the next hour, with full results expected by mid-afternoon.
Update: The Irish Times is reporting that, in Mayo, the vote appears to be 60-40 per cent in favour of the 'No' camp with the majority of boxes counted. There was a 52 per cent turnout.
Initial 'tallies' are starting to come in from other constituencies, many also showing a positive 'No' result.
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Irish broadcaster RTE is reporting that early returns show a strong 'No' vote, but turnout seems to be higher than many have predicted, perhaps tending to the 50% mark. Not thought to be good news for the 'No' camp.
However, the turnout in rural areas is thought to be low. Speculation is that this is because many farmers who are traditionally supporters of Ireland's governing party and would otherwise be 'Yes' voters were in fact conflicted over the issue of EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson's actions on trade issues.
News from our contact at the count in Dublin is also positive for the 'No' side. The 'Yes' camp were expected to bank a big advantage in Ireland's capital, but there's reportedly amazement at the number of 'No' votes.
It's early days yet - we'll update this post as news comes in. We'd also recommend keeping an eye on EUreferendum for latest news.
Update: The BBC is reporting that the Irish justice minister Dermot Ahern has conceded defeat.
"It looks like this will be a No vote," Mr Ahern said on live television. "At the end of the day, for a myriad of reasons, the people have spoken."
With six official results in the overall result is 55% 'No' against 45% 'Yes'.
Gordon Brown must respect the Irish verdict and immediately halt ratification of the treaty through Parliament. The treaty is due for its Third Reading on 18 June.
Update: RTE is saying "It seems certain that Irish voters have rejected the Lisbon Treaty." Although official results are only just coming in, the strong 'No' vote coming through in early tallies has obviously influenced their prediction.
Update: Official results are starting to come in from constituencies, with first off the mark being Waterford voting 54% 'No' to 46% 'Yes'. See the results come in on the Irish Times results map.
Update: The Irish Times is reporting that the initial tallies indicate an overall 'No' vote, despite a strong showing for the 'Yes' side in some constituencies.
They're saying "A strong Yes vote in County Dublin seems to have been offset by a strong No vote in city constituencies in the capital" with "The No campaign appears to be winning in most constituencies across the State, with significant majorities emerging from rural and urban working class areas."
Update: RTE is reporting that the 'Yes' camp is gaining ground against an early strong 'No' showing. They are citing a 60-40 vote in favour of Lisbon in "middle class constituencies like Dublin South, Dublin South East and Dún Laoghaire".
Official results from the constituencies are expected over the next hour, with full results expected by mid-afternoon.
Update: The Irish Times is reporting that, in Mayo, the vote appears to be 60-40 per cent in favour of the 'No' camp with the majority of boxes counted. There was a 52 per cent turnout.
Initial 'tallies' are starting to come in from other constituencies, many also showing a positive 'No' result.
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Irish broadcaster RTE is reporting that early returns show a strong 'No' vote, but turnout seems to be higher than many have predicted, perhaps tending to the 50% mark. Not thought to be good news for the 'No' camp.
However, the turnout in rural areas is thought to be low. Speculation is that this is because many farmers who are traditionally supporters of Ireland's governing party and would otherwise be 'Yes' voters were in fact conflicted over the issue of EU Commissioner Peter Mandelson's actions on trade issues.
News from our contact at the count in Dublin is also positive for the 'No' side. The 'Yes' camp were expected to bank a big advantage in Ireland's capital, but there's reportedly amazement at the number of 'No' votes.
It's early days yet - we'll update this post as news comes in. We'd also recommend keeping an eye on EUreferendum for latest news.
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