Be sure to vote in Nice referendum
OPINION: 4 JUNE 2001: by Mike Parle. The latest polls show that 1 out of every 4 people have not made up their minds as to what way they will vote - against or for the Nice Treaty? I believe that this vital group will decide the outcome of the referendum on next Thursday June 7th.
My personal plea to those in the North Kildare area aged 18+ is to go out and vote in large numbers.
It is true that our government has perhaps acted with undue haste in mounting this vote, and that a fog of misunderstanding about the key issues has descended upon our citizens. Ireland has until December 2002 – more than a year and a half – before we have to ratify. What’s the mad rush all about? Perhaps the present government is banking on a low turnout? Please do not let indifference and apathy rule the day.
Be keenly aware that a vote NOT exercised will leave a real and lasting footprint on our future and that of our great great grandchildren.
In any democratic, civilised state the wishes of the majority must always be sought out and identified. The implementation of the will of the people almost always results in the greater good for that society.
The issues I have selected below must give cause for serious concern as we prepare to go to the polls:
* The Treaty increases the powers of the larger Member States (Germany, France, Britain etc) of the EU to take decisions about its future. We are looking towards an EU in which Ireland’s power and influence will be further diminished and in which we will have less control over our own affairs. Will Ireland be a serious loser in this? In future could tax harmonisation be forced upon us, so endangering the dynamo of our economy i.e. the low 10% corporation tax that attracts so many foreign industries like Intel, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Hewlett Packard etc to our state? Is it an illusion that we would hope to hold onto our autonomy over taxation policies?
* There will be a shift in the balance of power in the EU institutions to further protect their interests: viz.
# Ireland will lose its automatic right to have a Commissioner
# We will lose the national veto in important areas, such as EU trade policy. It is effectively the scrapping of nation state’s right to say no to any proposal.
# Our representation (MEP’s) in the European Parliament will be reduced
# Qualified Majority Voting that shifts the balance of power away from smaller states will be introduced.
# Votes of the big states are trebled while small states are just doubled
# Will this lead to an inner and an outer circle? Since its foundation, the EU has been based on the principle of unanimity and equality regarding major constitutional, legal and political developments. Is this now to end?
* It involves the militarisation of the EU and threatens Irish neutrality
# It brings an army, called the Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) that will operate without democratic parliamentary supervision. Despite the protests, the ‘Partnership for Peace’ is NATO.
# The RRF needs no UN mandate. An Irish government promising to take part in military activities, only if there is such a mandate, is not legally binding.
# Irish involvement in EU military activities would inevitably undermine neutrality and many of our beliefs of national sovereignty, consigning them to be merely a "product of the [Irish] imagination".
* As to enlargement, has this issue been fully debated? How large should the EU become? Will such complexity of increased size be debilitating and self defeating? At what speed should such expansion be? Has the existing size already brought Europe together and healed the wounds of World War 1 and World War11?
* The esteemed former Attorney General to the government, Mr John Rodgers, has written saying that in his legal opinion the Nice Treaty undermines the Irish Constitution. This is a vital consideration.
If there is any doubt (in relation to the key issues), then throw it out. If you are crystal clear then I congratulate you on your knowledge on the Nice Treaty and its interaction with all the other EU treaties. Follow up then by voting accordingly.
Please do not let apathy rule the day, and let there be a large turnout, especially by the young idealistic voters.
Let not future generations accuse us of failing to ‘close the stable door’ when there was yet time to do so. Inform yourself on the key issues and then vote. If the referendum is lost it will mean nothing more than the opportunity to have a more considered and informed debate on these and other issues relating to the EU and our future.
Let us not be frightened, cajoled and press-ganged into voting 'yes' automatically for this treaty. It requires considerable time, consideration and deep thought.
Let us remember that no other European State is to have a referendum; also, that almost 40% of Irish citizens voted no to the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1988. Let us for once know what we are doing.
For our future good health and quality of life we need more than ever those vitally important ‘checks and balances’ that smaller nation states have always brought to the EU.
Mike Parle, 8, Highfield Park, Leixlip, Co. Kildare.