Large majority says Yes to Lisbon in Westmeath

There was no arguing about the Lisbon Treaty result in the Longford/Westmeath constituency last Friday, as 65.64% of voters said Yes this time around, almost a 20% increase on last year's result. This was a concise turnaround from the first Lisbon referendum, when 53.7% voted no and 46.3% said yes. There was a 55.4% turnout or 47,232 people in the constituency with 206 spoiled votes. A total of 30,870 people voted Yes, while 16,156 said No on the second run. In Athlone itself, there was a 43% average turnout. A total of four boxes in Athlone polling stations returned a No vote majority - the only area in the constituency to do so. They were one box in St Mary's NS, one box in Tormey Villas, one box in Brawney where there were 111 no votes and 33 yes and one box in Dean Kelly NS where there were 59 no votes and 23 yes. In more rural parts of North Westmeath and also Longford, the yes vote had a majority of up to 80%. "I'm very pleased with the result, it was a very emphatic result," said Fianna Fáil Deputy Mary O'Rourke, who attributed the huge swing to the yes side to the higher turnout. "It went up from 52% to 58% nationally, that was down to people who would have voted yes the last time but didn't come out." She said that locally there was a team of ten who spent two solid weeks on an intensive canvas, and that issues such as the economy, FÁS and John O'Donoghue's expenses were raised at the doorsteps. "People had legitimate concerns but they had every right to vote whatever way they wanted. They said 'we know things are bad but we will vote yes'," she said. "It was the people's choice and I respect that choice. I was very proud to be on the side endorsing yes." Athlone Sinn Fein Councillor Paul Hogan described it as a "David and Goliath contest"."The Yes side spent unprecedented amounts of money in creating a climate of fear. They preyed on people's concerns about their jobs and the future of the economy problems which this government created. Sinn Fin fought a truthful campaign where we concentrated on the detail contained within the Treaty. The proponents of the Treaty failed to address those concerns, choosing rather to prey on people's concerns regarding the economy," he said. "It will be extremely interesting to see where the jobs will come from to cater for those unemployment in Athlone. The truth is that the Lisbon Treaty does not contain any reference to employment. Those who are unemployed should now demand accountability from our local Oireachtas members and exert pressure on them to deliver these promised jobs." He said it was "satisfying" that a number of boxes in Athlone came out with a majority No vote. "This indicates that the No argument was resonating more with people in those areas and I take some satisfaction from that," he added. Meanwhile, in Roscommon/South Leitrim, 66% or 30,870 of the electorate, gave a resounding thumbs up to Lisbon, also a 20% increase on the first yes result. There was a 65% turnout in the constituency on the day.