Catherine Stihler, Scottish Labour MEP

It is said that if you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. This is no more true than with the Irish Referendum. As this magazine goes to print the results have yet to be declared yet what we gather is that the "yes" vote has won. If the Irish have voted for the Lisbon Treaty then a major hurdle to reforming the European Union has been crossed. It remains with the Czechs now whether their President will say yes. Some are claiming that he will delay further the Lisbon approval. Others are saying he may even wait until the General Election in the UK where the Conservatives if elected have promised a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The best case scenario is that the Lisbon Treaty will be finally approved and the constitutional changes implemented by the end of the year. The worst case scenario is a dragging on of constitutional wrangling for a year with the Lisbon Treaty suffering a long drawn out death. What lessons can we learn from the Lisbon Treaty?

Firstly if Ireland approves the Treaty then we can put to rest further constitutional debate. The Lisbon Treaty is our best shot at reform for a generation. With reform underway we can turn our attention to the issues that matter to our constituents which are jobs, the environment and security. We have to show why the EU is relevant to our constituents' day to day lives and sell the value of Europe rather than debating constitutional architecture. Secondly we must communicate better the work that we do and the reasons why Europe matters. With new ways of communicating and the decline of the traditional print media we need to be innovative and creative in the ways and with whom we are talking to. Finally let's show how the potential of European cooperation improves the quality of all our lives. Let's give each EU citizen a chance to engage with MEPs, the Commission and council on their own terms. As the proverb said if you want to go far, go together.