Why did the Irish reject Lisbon? an analysis of referendum results

The first part of this ARI considers the dynamics during the referendum campaign, which can be best described as a viciously ‘negative’ one by the ‘No’ side and a lacklustre, almost complacent one, by the ‘Yes’ side. It will demonstrate that polls throughout the campaign also indicated from the beginning that the ‘No’ side had gained momentum, even though a very large percentage of voters remained ‘Undecided’. Thereafter, it examines the results of the vote, highlighting that except for some affluent urban constituencies around Dublin, the rest of the country decisively voted ‘No’. An analysis of some of the different voting patterns found amongst the electorate is then made, based on a post-referendum Flash Eurobarometer survey conducted by Gallup, from 13 to 15 June. The conclusions of that survey and the examination of results by constituency underline that rural Ireland, manual workers, the youth and women voted against the Treaty.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Irish voters reject EU treaty http://www.europeansources.info/record/irish-voters-reject-eu-treaty/

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