The Campaign Against the EU Constitution Begins

dublin | eu | opinion/analysis Tuesday November 30, 2004 18:53 by Jonah - PANA

PANA Conference this weekend must be more than a talking shop, but the beginning of organisation for the EU Constitution referendum.

The announcement that this Saturday will see a conference on the European Constitution (See Indymedia Event Guide for details) is a long overdue positive development. Since the Constitution was signed earlier this year in Rome the Government has been preparing the ground to make sure the Constitution is passed.

The Forum on Europe has been pointed to already by establishment commentators such as Stephen Collins as an element in the Government’s strategy for passing the Constitution. On the 16th of November it held a plenary session on the importance of the EU Constitution. The insertion of a special supplement in a recent issue of the Irish Times, co-ordinating meetings of the Institute of European Affairs have taken place.

Meanwhile from the progressive elements of Irish society that previously opposed the neo-liberal agenda of the European integration process there has been a certain amount of hesitance it seems to get organized. Sinn Fein and the Socialist Party are so far the only significant political parties to come out against it and the Green party, while having extremely articulate individuals like John Gormley, Deirdre De Burca and Patricia McKenna, seems split on the decision and won’t make a call until March.

This lack of preparation, while the Government is already planning ahead, bodes poorly for the forthcoming confrontation. The defeat in the second Nice Treaty campaign was not because the progressive Anti-Nice campaign fought a poorer campaign. The campaign was far superior to that of the first campaign. The problem was the Government and establishment parties upped their game to a point beyond which we could reach.

A lot of the planning, fundraising and strategizing for the second referendum took place long before the date for it was set.

PANA’s decision to hold a conference on the EU Constitution is to be welcomed, if only because much of the criticism of the Constitution so far has emanating from the deeply reactionary Dana Scallon and from Anthony Coughlan.

But a conference in and of itself is not sufficient. The weak points of the second Nice campaign need to be tackled.

Firstly, there was no comprehensive analysis of the Nice Treaty. Nothing substantial enough to challenge the material the Government was putting out. The only analysis I’ve read so far of the Constitution was from Sinn Fein (Very good but too short and before the version was amended) and PANA who is to deliver their analysis this Saturday I understand. We need this kind of comprehensive document to challenge the media elite whose almost unanimous (Fair play to the Star and the Sunday Business Post) support for Nice was crucial.

Secondly, there was no work done in challenging the perception of ALL campaigners as being uncaring of the opinions of the EU applicant states. The notion of an international opposition to Nice distinct from the BNP/UKIP/Justin Barrett strand was never made or displayed to the Irish people. The need for the campaign against the EU to be internationalized and for the Irish people to be clearly aware that resistance to the Constitution is something occurring in every EU state is vital. Linking up progressive left wing, socialist groups across Europe is vital. The European Social Forum is the kind of organization that has a role to play in this. As do Sinn Fein who have partners in the European Parliament opposed to the Constitution.

Thirdly, the campaign needs to be moved out of Dublin. During the Nice referendums the opposition from a left wing perspective was based in urban areas and those rural constituencies where there were pockets of Sinn Fein or Green support. It also needs to have involvement with the north of Ireland where we can expect another referendum to be fought either before or after ours.

Fourthly, the campaign to reach out to left wing groups who supported the Constitution should have begun the day the document was signed. The Trade Unions, the Labour grassroots (Worth noting that whatever the result Labour Youth members had a motion at their congress opposing the Constitution) NGOs and community sector need to be reached out to now.

The conference organized by PANA for 10am this Saturday, cheekily held in the offices of the European Parliament on Molesworth St, is important not just in itself, but also as the beginning of pulling together the various lobby groups, organizations and parties who are going to fight this battle vote by vote, house by house and street by street