Francois Hollande wants to change treaty even though we are voting on it

darkman2 · 22-04-2012 01:23PM #1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2012/apr/20/ireland-labour-francois-hollande-france

Now this could end up being a bit of a pickle. If we vote "yes" we might have to vote again. Maybe we should just vote "no" to be sure?

later12 · 22-04-2012 01:59PM

I think that article may be overstating the situation somewhat.

Hollande does not object to the provisions of the treaty per se; his main problem is that there is no adequate provision for growth in the treaty.

Although this is not a European Union Treaty, I would have thought that any "growth amendment" can be attached to the treaty without a need for a referendum in Ireland, so long as any potential 'growth amendments' attached to the treaty do not impinge on the Irish Constitution.

Scofflaw · 22-04-2012 03:22PM

The latest updates on this suggest that - quite aside from the whole question of relying on election promises - what is likely to happen is that Hollande will get an "ancillary pact" on growth and jobs, not a rewrite of the treaty itself.

That seems a reasonable compromise between the fantasy of election promises and the reality of a multilateral treaty.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Francois Hollande wants to change treaty even though we are voting on it

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