The Factors That Influenced My Decision to Vote "No" Pt.1 of 2

First, this is a selection of the things that had nothing to do with my decision:

1. Fear about corporate tax rates. Lisbon or no Lisbon, there is a threat to the rate;

2. Ingratitude. I am very grateful to, especially, the German people for the support they gave us over the last 35 years. If the German People had voted emphatically for Lisbon, it would have been much harder for me to vote against it;

3. Neutrality: almost entirely absent from my thoughts;

4. Losing our Commissioner for one-third of the time - I could almost live with that;

5. QMV changes - I could almost live with them too;

(I will explain the repeated uses of "almost" in part 2).

6. Bad deal for Ireland: I don't agree with this formulation of the problem at all. Our negotiators did a reasonable job;

7. Abortion: The EU has modified our divorce law without democratic mandate, so the fear (or hope) that this could happen in other "moral " areas is not wholly irrational (and does play its part in my general scepticism). However, the abortion position is special and it played no part in my deliberations.

8. Support for Sinn Fein, Libertas, Coir, the Socialist party was most definitely not a factor for me, or for the vast majority of "No" voters. Were a General Election held tomorrow, the above-mentioned parties would be lucky to obtain a quarter of the 56% which the "No" answer attracted.

9.The alleged "new" supremacy of EU law which would obtain post-ratification.

On the other hand, there are good things in the Treaty (Charter of Fundamental Rights, better provision for scrutiny by national parliaments), as well as some meaningless things presented as good (e.g. "citizens' initiative").