Ireland has had a pretty awful summer. It has rained every day, the recession is beginning to bite and, of course, we tried to ruin everyone else’s holiday by rejecting the Lisbon Treaty.
Several surveys following the referendum confirmed that Irish citizens did not regret that decision one bit. In fact increasing numbers claim that they would vote “No” again if the Government attempted a rerun.
In Ireland, the sun eventually peeks through after weeks or rain. The first rays finally came when on 10 September the government published its in-depth analysis of why people voted “No”. It transpires that a grand total of 42% had no idea what they were rejecting. 33% thought that a “Yes” meant conscription into a European army and abortion on demand!
To be fair, the Treaty text itself and a very lacklustre information campaign were more to blame than the people themselves. But at least the findings provide some rational for revisiting the debate.
I would not suggest that suddenly an increasingly sceptical public is ready for another vote. They will surely demand their pound of flesh - the question they are asked next time will somehow need modification.
Two ideas are circulating: putting controversial aspects of the Treaty to the people in a series of yes/no questions with the parts they reject resulting in opt-outs; or a simple opt-out on defence.
Neither solution makes a whole pile of sense. The former would be a legal nightmare, and we already have the Seville Declaration in the Irish Constitution which protects Irish neutrality, making the latter seems pointless.
And now for a prediction: a solution will eventually be found and Ireland and Europe will stumble forward, but only until the next time a member state has to put something to their citizens. Because all we are really discussing is what type of bandage to use. The real question is do we need more radical surgery to ensure the future health of the European project?
Showing posts with label europe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label europe. Show all posts
Monday, 15 September 2008
Thursday, 24 April 2008
Young people urged to vote Yes in Lisbon poll
MARIE O’HALLORAN - The Irish Times (Wednesday April 23 2008)
TÁNAISTE BRIAN Cowen appealed to young people to vote “Yes” in the Lisbon Treaty referendum in June.
Speaking during the ongoing Dáil debate on the 29th Amendment to the Constitution Bill, which provides for the holding of the referendum, Mr Cowen said that the youngest voters in the referendum were born after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
“How meaningful do they find appeals to recall the European unification of Germany and of Europe? They have grown up in an affluent and confident Ireland. They do not remember how things were in the 1970s and 1980s, nor can they be expected to appreciate the scale of the change the European Union has helped bring to our country. How then do we convince them that they should follow their parents in appreciating the importance of the Union and voting to support this treaty?”
This generation of young Irish people “is by far the best travelled and outward-looking ever. They are idealistic and they are also conscious that the world is changing in ways which will pose great challenges to how they will live. The EU has a central role to play in responding to those challenges, and this treaty is important in helping equip it to do so.” He added that “while we can never take the electorate for granted, I believe that we will succeed on this occasion and that the people will vote to ratify the reform treaty”.
Earlier, Labour deputy leader Joan Burton said people were “highly sceptical about the Lisbon Treaty. In part this is because they have no sense that the Government is seriously engaged in explaining the treaty’s terms to them, with the possible exception of one or two Ministers.”
She believed there was an “enormous deficit in respect of the Government’s engagement in the argument. The point has been reached at which many of its supporters have asked why they should bother to vote if the Government does not care. Consequently the challenge for the Government is to put some effort and thought into explaining what is a complex treaty.”
Mr Cowen replied that Fianna Fáil had begun meetings on the referendum and 50 would be held. The deputy “can rest assured that Fianna Fáil intends to do all it can. We will commence an active campaign when we officially launch it in the coming weeks.”
The debate continues.
TÁNAISTE BRIAN Cowen appealed to young people to vote “Yes” in the Lisbon Treaty referendum in June.
Speaking during the ongoing Dáil debate on the 29th Amendment to the Constitution Bill, which provides for the holding of the referendum, Mr Cowen said that the youngest voters in the referendum were born after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
“How meaningful do they find appeals to recall the European unification of Germany and of Europe? They have grown up in an affluent and confident Ireland. They do not remember how things were in the 1970s and 1980s, nor can they be expected to appreciate the scale of the change the European Union has helped bring to our country. How then do we convince them that they should follow their parents in appreciating the importance of the Union and voting to support this treaty?”
This generation of young Irish people “is by far the best travelled and outward-looking ever. They are idealistic and they are also conscious that the world is changing in ways which will pose great challenges to how they will live. The EU has a central role to play in responding to those challenges, and this treaty is important in helping equip it to do so.” He added that “while we can never take the electorate for granted, I believe that we will succeed on this occasion and that the people will vote to ratify the reform treaty”.
Earlier, Labour deputy leader Joan Burton said people were “highly sceptical about the Lisbon Treaty. In part this is because they have no sense that the Government is seriously engaged in explaining the treaty’s terms to them, with the possible exception of one or two Ministers.”
She believed there was an “enormous deficit in respect of the Government’s engagement in the argument. The point has been reached at which many of its supporters have asked why they should bother to vote if the Government does not care. Consequently the challenge for the Government is to put some effort and thought into explaining what is a complex treaty.”
Mr Cowen replied that Fianna Fáil had begun meetings on the referendum and 50 would be held. The deputy “can rest assured that Fianna Fáil intends to do all it can. We will commence an active campaign when we officially launch it in the coming weeks.”
The debate continues.
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