Why I oppose the Lisbon Treaty

national | eu | opinion/analysis Wednesday June 11, 2008 11:58 by Barra Ó Gríobhtha

In the last few days, Brian Cowen has stated that Ireland's future will be decided by the Lisbon Treaty Referendum. If, therefore, its ratification is so paramount with regard to the future of Ireland, and indeed Europe, then why are we the only nation voting on it? Surely, in any democracy, people are entitled to decide on issues which fundamentally shape their future, right? A half a billion people now live in the E.U., but only a few million are being asked for their opinion in a referendum being billed by Cowen as the most import in a generation. Either European democracy is well or truly a thing of the past, or Cowen, Kenny and Gilmore are exaggerating the importance of this referendum with a view to sparing their blushes on the corridors of power in Brussels.

"The rest of Europe will be mad with us if we vote No."
A few years ago I met a Swede in Limerick and the two of us have been together ever since. I now live in Sweden. So what do Swedes think about the E.U. I hear you ask? Well, Swedes are generally quite proud of the Swedish way of doing things, be it high taxation, the Kronor, personal numbers, an open border with Norway, state owned off-licences that close at 3p.m. on a Saturday, legalised snus, or paid male parental leave of up to a year and a half in duration. So they feel that their lifestyle is under threat by the E.U., right? Well to be honest, I very rarely hear as much as a whisper about the European Union here, and when I do it is usually something negative along the lines of the E.U. wanting to ban snus. And despite the apocalyptic visions being painted by the cowboys in the Dáil back home, I haven't seen anything written about the Lisbon Treaty in Swedish newspapers that wasn't longer that four lines in length. And as for the average person on the street, they don't even know that there is such a thing as the Lisbon Treaty, never mind how they might receive it if they did. Therefore I can reassure you that the people of Sweden will not hate us if we do indeed have the guts to reject this treaty. As far as I'm concerned, a European Union is the idea of mutual respect between all of Europe's peoples. In that context, we should vote as we please, with the expectation that our decision will be respected no matter how we decide to vote.

"The E.U. has scratched our back, now it’s our turn to scratch its"
In my opinion, the E.U. invested in Ireland in the exact same fashion that a bank might invest in you when you take out a mortgage with them. In other words, the E.U. invested in Ireland with the intent of benefiting from this investment. And indeed they have benefited. Ireland is one of the top producers of hardware, software and pharmaceutical products in Europe, as well as being the European hub for a whole range of American multinationals. We are also sitting on top of one of the largest gas and oil fields in Europe. European economies have most certainly benefited from Ireland's expansion, not to mention the jobs that have been created for the hundreds of thousands of Europeans who have migrated to Ireland in recent years. But rather than receiving credit in this regard, Irish people are dealt the guilt-trip card by both Irish and foreign politicians. If you really believe that European governments rallied together in a spirit of charity and goodwill with regard to the poor old Irish, then why is it that these very same countries are engaged in the practice of shipping billions of dollars worth of weapons to the third world?

The pendulum has swung against workers' rights and in favour of big business according to the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union, which has advised its members to vote No. This swing is an obvious progression with regard to the centralisation of European political power. As fewer law makers rule over more and more people, it becomes easier for multinationals to pressurise, manipulate, and indeed bribe government. In other words, it is difficult for multinationals to implement policies which are biased in their favour when there are a multitude of different governments which need convincing. Democracy is also reduced, due to centralisation, with respect to the electoral process. In order to get elected today in the U.S., you need unbelievably large amounts of money behind you. And this system also makes it easier for tyrants to take control over very large amounts of people, just as Bush has done, and just as Blair is planning to do with respect to the E.U. "I'll be president of Europe if you give me the power - Blair http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/feb/02/world.politics

"We've never had it so Good"
Ireland is currently on the crest of a very large wave, and the optimism associated with the Celtic Tiger will inspire many to vote yes. With our low taxation and high immigration, most Irish people have prospered financially as a result of Ireland's economic expansion. Sweden, on the other hand, has traditionally implemented a policy of very high taxation, which is used to maintain wealth throughout Swedish society. As a consequence, there are much fewer social problems here than in other E.U. countries, and this includes problems is areas of Sweden with large migrant populations. The city I work in, for example, has taken more Iraqi immigrants in recent years than the US and Canada combined. In Ireland, we are already seeing a dramatic increase in social problems with regard to those Irish left behind by the Celtic Tiger. And we will continue to see these problems increase. Ireland's migrants are coming from countries with lower standards of living and often lower levels of democracy. As a result, these people are happy to work the jobs that are now beneath us. But the problem is that their children will not be so easily pleased and Ireland will have to do better than simply offering them a job in McDonalds. Many E.U. countries have failed miserably in this regard and the chickens are now coming home to roost. As a result, we are seeing a dramatic increasing in social polarisation in countries like Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, the UK and France. The reason these problems have occurred is due to the policies implemented by their respective politicians; the very same politicians who have negotiated the Lisbon Treaty. Therefore, it might appear that Ireland is on a positive footing to some, but we should look to those countries that we are model on in order to gain insight into the Ireland of future generations. And as power is moved further and further away from ordinary people, it will become harder and harder for us to reverse the kinds of mistakes I believe are being made in Europe today.

For these reasons, I believe the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty is our best interest, as well as that of all Europeans, and I will be a very proud Irishman if we vote No come Friday.