Ireland Votes in Favor of EU Treaty

 DUBLIN - People in the Republic of Ireland have voted to ratify¹ the European Union's Fiscal² Pact³ in a referendum that sets strict limits for countries' budget deficits⁴.  Sixty percent of Irish voted in favor - more than forecast in opinion polls.  Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny expressed relief at the decision, but says his country must now work with EU partners to build a plan to boost growth. 

A cafe in the center of Dublin at lunchtime.  As is usual, it is raining, and workers and students are sheltering from the wet, buying coffee and sandwiches.  But the day is unusual in another way.  The Irish are voting in a referendum - whether they should allow Ireland to sign up to a treaty that makes the country legally obligated to keep their government spending within set limits, and punishes the country with big fines if they do not obey those rules.  College students Robin⁵ Celligan and Ronan O'Reilly are about to make their choice.

"I'm voting yes because it's definitely a step in the right direction in the future, and this is going to come in anyway, whether we vote yes or no, or not, and I think it is the right decision for Ireland at the moment," said Celligan.

Ronan O’Reilly, also a college student, says he does not support the referendum.

"A few reasons - I think it is the wrong question, I think we are dealing⁶ with the problem in the wrong way," said O’Reilly. "I think that we need to call Germany's bluff⁷.  The treaty is in German oligarchical⁸ interests.  It's not in the Irish public interest.  It's not in the European interest.  I think we need to call their bluff."

There were two conflicting emotions during the campaign.  Anger - at how successive Irish governments had allowed property developers and banks to run up tens of billions of dollars of debts that the Irish are now paying back.  And fear - because if Ireland had voted no, it would not have been able to make use of further emergency money from the EU and the International Monetary⁹ Fund when their current loans have to be paid back next year.

In the end, fear won out.  By a large majority, the Irish voted to join the other European governments who had already ratified¹⁰ the treaty.  Prime Minister Kenny spoke¹¹ of his relief at the result.

"In doing so, the Irish people have sent a powerful signal around the world that this is a country that is serious about overcoming its economic challenges," said Kenny. "As I said throughout the campaign, this treaty will not solve all of this country's problems, but it is one of the many foundation stones that we need to put in place to ensure that our economic position stands on firm ground for the future."

A yes vote gives Ireland access to more bailout money if the country needs it after 2013.  However, it also requires Ireland to carry on implementing¹² billions of dollars worth of tax increases and spending cuts.  Unemployment is high.  Young people are emigrating, often as far as Australia, to find work.  Stories of parents seeing all four children boarding a plane to find work are common.

Speaking before Friday’s result, Irish-based economist¹³ Lorcan Roche Kelly thinks a yes vote is worth the price.

“Because the market expects a yes vote, a no vote would be a surprise, and an adverse¹⁴ surprise considering how fragile the international economy is," said Kelly. "People looking to invest in Ireland...we have Google here, we have Facebook here, we have Yahoo, all the big Internet companies here, people looking to invest in Ireland would maybe think twice about furthering their investment.”

Ireland provided the answer the markets had hoped for. But as it happens, the U.S. stock markets dropped sharply Friday on the news the U.S. economy created far fewer jobs in May than had been hoped for.  In today’s environment, no sooner than one hurdle¹⁵ has been cleared, another can come up on the horizon.

1 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

2 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

3 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

4 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

5 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

8 oligarchical   

adj.寡头政治的，主张寡头政治的

参考例句：

9 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

10 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

13 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

14 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

15 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。