Habermas on why the Irish voted no to Lisbon

international | eu | other press Friday July 04, 2008 18:33 by -

People either know who Habermas is, or they don't. He's not the type to get quoted a lot, but if you go to university and study marxism, sociology, philosophy or aesthetic criticism - you will be required to read some Habermas and remember how to quote him.

He has written an article explaining why he believes the Irish voted "No!" to Lisbon.

You can go several ways on this.

* You could ignore Habermas as a traitor to the leftwing for famously sitting down to chat with Ratzinger.

* You could ignore Habermas as a philosopher of the western tradition of the Leftwing and thus a dangerous intellectual.

* You could read Habermas and then tell everyone why they should ignore philosophers of the western tradition of the Leftwing.

* You could read Habermas and think maybe philosophers of the western tradition of leftwing thought actually understood something about the Irish people and (even better) hit a nail on the head when it came to all the peoples of Europe.


And the Wheels Stopped Turning
By Jürgen Habermas

European governments are at their wits' end. It is time for them to admit it -- and let the public decide about the future of the European Union.

…and everything comes to a grinding halt.

The farmers are upset about falling global prices and the new regulations constantly coming from Brussels. Those at the bottom of the social ladder are upset about the growing gap between rich and poor, especially evident in a country where both groups live in close proximity. The citizens despise their own politicians, who promise the world but who lack perspective and do not (cannot) deliver.