The Biggest Vote You Didn't Know Was Happening

Irish voters will vote on Friday. Why is that important? Well, Irish voters hold the future of Europe and more specifically the EU in their hands. They've already rejected the Lisbon Treaty once and a second No vote would throw a wrench in the efforts to modernize the EU. The EU is still run like an organization with 12 or 15 member states when it now has 27 and seems destined for further expansion in short order (Iceland and Croatia being prime candidates). The old consensus model which relied on easy agreements between a few heads of government is in desperate need of replacing. The European Parliament, to be blunt, needs a purpose. All of this has led to an effort for major reform. Those efforts became slightly less major after French and Dutch voters rejected the so-called EU Constitution. The watered-down Lisbon Treaty required only parliamentary votes from 26 out of 27 EU states. Only the Irish got to vote on it. Having failed to get the desired answer the first time, the EU is going back to the well with a slightly better offer. Europe will either have a new governing structure or be sent back to the drawing board after this vote. Yes, in PR friendly Europe, 4 million Irish voters will decide the fate almost 500 million people.