The Irish Referendums on the Lisbon Treaty: Did the Recession Save Lisbon?

On 2 October 2009 Irish citizens voted in favour of the Lisbon Treaty, which they had rejected only sixteen months earlier. This article investigates the reasons for the shift from ‘no’ to ‘yes’ focusing on the economic recession and the legal guarantees provided to Ireland after the failed first referendum. The question this article tries to answer is: Did the recession save Lisbon? The recession is, however, not the only reason for the success of the yes-campaign. The legal guarantees provided to Ireland help the Government reduce fears about Lisbon in terms of sovereignty and military neutrality.

The recession and the legal guarantees together defused the spirited no-campaign and put the yes-campaign on the road to success. In the conclusion I discuss the broader question of whether the failed referendums on Nice and Lisbon are a sign a growing Euroscepticism in Ireland. I conclude that the failed referendums do not forecast a growing Euroscepticism, but may point to a growing lack of trust in national elites.