Biased Times

A Chairde,


The Irish Times of 26 September featured a cartoon that captures the state of what is euphemistically termed 'debate' concerning the Nice Treaty. Rendered with all the skill and intelligence we have come to expect from the IT, the cartoon features two business types walking by a poster, evidently intended to depict one recently issued by the 'No to Nice' campaign, featuring a distressed individual with a pistol pressed to his head. (This poster has been censured by some who see the threat depicted as metaphorical and not literal, and hence in bad taste.) The text of the cartoon's poster reads "Same bad treaty. Vote No, say Sinn Féin, Greens, Youth Defencites and some not very internationalist socialists". Business Type 1 remarks, "Looks like the Provos are putting the gun back into Irish politics..." while a Voice from Offstage replies "It never went away you know..."

According to the IT, all those who oppose the unconstitutional second referendum on the Nice Treaty are not only bigoted anti-internationalists, but "Provos" into the bargain. This is despite the fact that the "Provos" were not the ones who put the gun into Irish politics in the first place, and are not the ones who are threatening to do so now. The Taoiseach is the self-appointed Lloyd George promising "immediate and terrible war" should the people be so uncowed by Cowan as actually to exercise their right to make their minds up for themselves.

The tactic employed last year of pretending the Treaty really wasn't about anything, and so the referendum was a mere formality to pass this piece of nothing-legislation into our Constitution, failed to work. Instead, the 1972 campaign for membership of the EEC appears again in 2002, with the same slogans promising peace, jobs and prosperity, the same unprecedented Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael consensus, the same contempt for the opposition expressed in insults rather than argument, and above all, no mention of the issues.

The pro-Nice gunmen do not refer to the Treaty once in their forecasts of milk and honey should we be good and vote as we're told, and with good reason. The Rapid Reaction Force, child of the Nice Treaty, will be able to wage war against the non-EU-minded outside the peaceful borders of EU-land; no pacifiers inserted into the Irish Constitution will prevent this, because the Constitution will be overridden by the forthcoming EU Constitution, which is sure to let us know how essential war is for securing peace in our time.

American warplanes now land daily in this country in contravention of Irish law; this is either to establish a precedent for a more permanent use of Ireland by foreign warmongers, or a threat of military action against an insufficiently compliant populace, or both. The gun is certainly back in Irish politics; however, the IT is indulging, one suspects, in wilful ignorance as to who is wielding it.


Andrew McGrath
Dublin 7

Nice is battle for democracy

A Chairde,


Last April, a referendum on the abortion issue was defeated by the electorate. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's reaction was - "The people have spoken, we must respect their wishes", or words to that effect. Can someone please explain why the same Taoiseach and government respects the result of one referendum, but within three hours of the defeat of the Nice Referendum nine months previously, announced that they would be re-running it to try to get the people to vote in the opposite way next time round.

On 21 June last year, in the aftermath of the people saying "No" to Nice, then Fianna Fáil backbencher, Dick Roche TD, stated in the Dáil - "To attempt to rerun a referendum as a means of reversing the democratic decision taken by the people would be rightly regarded as an affront. Something fundamental will have to be changed in the Nice Treaty before we can even contemplate putting it before the people again."

After the May General Election, the same Deputy Roche was promoted to the position of Minister of State for Europe and given the task by the Taoiseach to head up the government's "Yes" campaign on the exact same treaty - an action he described as "an affront" less than 12 months previously.

The recalling of the Dáil in September for four days to discuss the Nice Treaty saw twenty two and a half hours of "debate", but do people realise that out of that only a mere 113 minutes, less than two hours of speaking time, were allowed for TDs who are on the "No" side?

This referendum is at this stage about more than the Nice Treaty. It is a battle for democracy in this State. Fianna Fáil and the government treat the people who elect them with brazen and obvious contempt. Send them a strong message on 19 October that the people are sovereign, that the politicians are our servants, not our masters, and it's about time they showed us respect. Vótáil Níl.


Cllr Cionnaith Ó Súilleabháin,
Cloich na Coillte

Irish neutrality

A Chara,


The issue of Irish neutrality is once again set to take centre stage in the re-run of the Treaty of Nice.

We have been told time and time again by those advocating a Yes vote, that Nice has no bearing on our neutrality.

The political parties who rejected the democratically expressed vote of the Irish people, who voted No to Nice last time, attempt to persuade us that the Seville Declaration attached to the Treaty copper-fastens neutrality.

The time is now right to test those who promote such a position and question their trustfulness on this issue.

Should Iraq wish to refuel their war planes in Shannon Airport, on their way to bomb innocent people in America or Britain, the same way as the Americans refuel at Shannon on their way to kill innocent people in Iraq, would the Irish government allow it?

After all, if the Shannon stopover is good enough for American warmongers, well then it's good enough for Iraqi warmongers.

Irish neutrality, don't make me laugh.


Joe Barrett
Portlaoise
Co Laois

Not in, can't win

A Chairde,


A most serious matter has come to my attention.

I am a father of two and the Treaty of Nice Information Guide was delivered to my home. I read through it and so did both of my children. They are in their late teens and older but will always be children to me at any age.

Both of them have various differences but agree on most points.

Then I asked the question. I asked them how many of there friends had they spoken to about the Treaty and what was their opinion. At the end of the day it is their future and the future of generations to come. We need to keep this in mind when voting, I remarked.

Both are in third level education and play music and sports and have a wide circle of friends.

My point is that out of 42 boys and girls between the ages of 18 to 23 that they know, they said that only three are registered to vote and even the few that I have convinced to register seems a drop in the ocean. Most of them have lost all faith in the present government.

I am writing this letter voicing my concern. When addressing your campaign concerning the Treaty could you include the statistics to make our youth aware of their rights and remind them that it's their future.

Are they comfortable that they have left this vote or any vote in the hands of others? They might not like the result and regret it in time.

This matter needs to be addressed.

Well done in the recent election, keep up the good work.

It will come soon.


Cara Máirtín.
Tiobraid Arann Theas