Reproached from all sides for an alleged display of base ingratitude, we're supposed to be mortified. After all they did for us, showering us with billions for 35 years and bringing us from mud-walled cabin to flashy hacienda, we turn our backs on Europe and pull the plug on the milk lake. Ungrateful wretches, that's what we are.

Not since Adam and Eve took a bite of the forbidden fruit has such disregard been shown for favours received, it seems. But the consequences are dire. The cheque in the post is spent, and now we could be cast from the garden of Eden a second time.

If that's the case then we should ask for our territorial waters back and upset world trade by growing sugar beet again. Up the Republic!
But even as I write, our leaders are on their way to appease the gods of Europe. Brian Cowen and Micheal Martin who are careful to stress that the will of the Irish people must be respected, are off to assure the EU big guns with the other side of their mouths that whatever else we may be, we're not ungrateful. Not very bright maybe, but very appreciative of all the goodies, despite our stubborn and ungracious nature.

But of course we're not ungrateful. Nobody told us that this was a vote of thanks. In fact nobody really told us precisely what it was, but it didn't sound anything like a stand for democracy.

Over 800,000 of us felt that we were being bullied and we stood up to the bullies, and whatever about the member States that decide themselves what's best for their people, we were able to make our own decision and we did that without starting a civil war - although it has to be said that the politicians do look a bit shell-shocked.

I never thought I'd say this, but hooray for Dev's Constitution. But then I'm not used to being on the winning side either.

But the whole Mugabe-type reaction to the Lisbon Referendum defeat, by the establishment both at home and abroad, has been quite astonishing. Respecting the will of the people my eye.

They indulged us, but we gave the wrong answer, dammit. But if we're lucky we'll be allowed to re-sit the test. It's the nonchalant Irish thing again, they presume. Like in a bar, when you ask someone if he'll have a drink. "Ah, no thanks'" he replies. "Ah, go on," you urge. "Okay, I'll have one," he says.

We would never want to appear to be over enthusiastic apparently but we nearly always give in, with a bit of persuasion. But we've gone from all that hopefully. We should stick to our guns now, and tell the EU what we want. The ball is not in Brian Cowen's court. It's in theirs. And if they have another proposal to put to us, then they should put it in plain English and not try to obfuscate the issue with paragraphs and articles, qualified by acres of sub paragraphs and sub articles.

Otherwise the slow lane, for all its faults, is infinitely preferable to the fast lane which will eventually be choked anyway by its own verbiage.