James Downey
Veteran journalist James Downey writes a much admired weekly political column in the Irish Independent. He was formerly foreign editor, London editor, political correspondent and deputy editor of the Irish Times. He has won several awards including the Liam Hourican Award as Ireland's European Journalist of the Year in 1996.
Ireland has voted on the Lisbon Treaty a second time with an overwhelming victory – 67.2% – for the Yes side. To have ignored the vote, however, of those who rejected the treaty in 2008 is an act of disenfranchisement, argues veteran journalist James Downey, and creates a vacuum in Ireland’s political culture.