Bruton: We need second Lisbon vote

EU AMBASSADOR to the United States and former taoiseach John Bruton has called for a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty because Irish people did not understand it when they rejected it the first time.

Mr Bruton said people should be given a “second opportunity” to vote on the treaty, but warned that another rejection would be “a very serious setback” for the country. Addressing the special Oireachtas Committee on the Lisbon treaty, Mr Bruton said: “If I was pushed into a corner and asked I would say I would favour a second referendum.

“It was very difficult for people to understand what it meant. There may be a case for the argument for giving them a second opportunity,” he said. Mr Bruton who has been based in Washington since taking up his position in 2004 also said the Oireachtas should pass legislation giving clarity on requirements for referendums on EU treaties.