18 October 2001 Edition
Arrogant Euros
The sight of Bertie Ahern going cap in hand to the European Commission to plead for permission to put together an aid package to save the national airline has vindicated all those who voted No to Nice in June.
Under the EU's competition laws, irregardless of the circumstances of the crisis facing Aer Lingus, states are prevented from interfering with market forces, even to protect a vital national resource and save thousands of jobs. In also agreeing this week to allow greater competition in the postal service over the next number of years, the government is repeating the same mistake and putting the postal service and its workers' livelihoods in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, the Forum for Europe meets in Dublin for the first time today amid warnings from Foreign minister Brian Cowen that there would be no change in the text of the Nice Treaty to accommodate the concerns of the Irish electorate in advance of a second referendum. Last week, Enrique Baron Crespo, leader of the Parliamentary Group of European Socialists, told Sinn Féin that Nice would go ahead, irregardless of the wishes of the Irish electorate.
And to think Sinn Féin argued in the referendum campaign that Nice would impinge on Irish sovereignty and make the EU a more undemocratic institution. Where could we possibly have got that impression?
We do have a couple of suggestions for the government, if it is to protect the interests of its citizens.
1. It must act to save jobs at Aer Lingus and protect our national airline.
2. It should respect the people's decision and refuse to hold a second referendum on Nice and instead insist that ratification be halted and the Treaty's provisions be renegotiated.
Such actions would send a clear message to Brussels that the Dublin government is still willing to act to protect the livelihoods and the interests of Irish citizens and that the illegal decision to persist with a rejected Treaty will not be accepted.
Such action would also require a complete u-turn on the part of Fianna Fáil and the PDs. We won't hold our breath. Roll on the general election.
Under the EU's competition laws, irregardless of the circumstances of the crisis facing Aer Lingus, states are prevented from interfering with market forces, even to protect a vital national resource and save thousands of jobs. In also agreeing this week to allow greater competition in the postal service over the next number of years, the government is repeating the same mistake and putting the postal service and its workers' livelihoods in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, the Forum for Europe meets in Dublin for the first time today amid warnings from Foreign minister Brian Cowen that there would be no change in the text of the Nice Treaty to accommodate the concerns of the Irish electorate in advance of a second referendum. Last week, Enrique Baron Crespo, leader of the Parliamentary Group of European Socialists, told Sinn Féin that Nice would go ahead, irregardless of the wishes of the Irish electorate.
And to think Sinn Féin argued in the referendum campaign that Nice would impinge on Irish sovereignty and make the EU a more undemocratic institution. Where could we possibly have got that impression?
We do have a couple of suggestions for the government, if it is to protect the interests of its citizens.
1. It must act to save jobs at Aer Lingus and protect our national airline.
2. It should respect the people's decision and refuse to hold a second referendum on Nice and instead insist that ratification be halted and the Treaty's provisions be renegotiated.
Such actions would send a clear message to Brussels that the Dublin government is still willing to act to protect the livelihoods and the interests of Irish citizens and that the illegal decision to persist with a rejected Treaty will not be accepted.
Such action would also require a complete u-turn on the part of Fianna Fáil and the PDs. We won't hold our breath. Roll on the general election.