The Irish rejected the Lisbon Treaty. Heck, it is 287 pages long, and many voters have complained that it is difficult to understand. The document was supposed to make the EU function more efficiently and would give the European Union its first full-time president and create a new and powerful foreign policy chief.

How different are we, Belarusians, from the Irish? Would we vote on something we do not understand? How about the referenda by which we amended the constitution and abolished the rule of law in our homeland? Well, not all of us. I believe none of you, guys, voted yes on those referenda, but I am guessing whether our neighbors next door ever questioned the essence of the president’s proposals while deciding where to put the tick on the ballot.

I well remember those first two referenda. Then Lukashenko was da star, da real hustla. No questions asked, our seniors trusted him full-heartedly. But you can’t bullshit the Irish.

But in this case, the Irish erred. The European integration has stumbled again. As you remember, the Lisbon Treaty emerged after voters in France and the Netherlands rejected a European constitution in 2005. It was sort of a roundabout treaty, and I’m sure it is by far not the final effort to move forward. The EU will come up with some way to advance its course. Maybe the next treaty will be shorter and easier to understand, or local politicians will do a better job explaining it to the voters.