Brian Mooney of New Alliance, he is concerned about provions in the Lisbon Treaty.
He writes: There are some little noticed provisions tucked away in the Lisbon Treaty. First, the newly created High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will also head the European Defence Agency (EDA) and have a right of initiative for proposing EU-led military operations. The bottom line is that the EU will get a defence capability for the first time.
Second, Article 28b allows EU armed forces to be used to deal with any "crisis". An event will be defined as a crisis by the Council and Commission. Article 28a allows the EU armed forces to be used to protect the strategic interests of the EU, again these are to be defined by the Council and Commission. Finally Article 188r allows armed forces to be deployed to any part of the EU without the agreement of the government of the member state in whose territory they are deployed.
These provisions are scattered widely through the Treaty (probably deliberately), but taken together they create an EU armed force that can be deployed - and sent into combat - anywhere in the EU for any purpose decided upon by the EU Commission and Council. They ensure that the EU would not be faced by the constitutional impasse faced by Lincoln in 1861. If any state
of the EU sought to secede, the EU would have the legal powers to enable it to send in armed forces to put down the secession movement. Never mind getting Ireland to vote again - the tanks would be on the streets.
And let's face it, political unions of all types have a history of not tolerating secession movements.
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