Fear and racial tensions may determine Nice vote, says Lynch

FEARS about immigrants and racial tensions will be a potent but unspoken factor in the upcoming EU Nice Treaty vote, a Labour TD warned today.

Kathleen Lynch said that the Government and other proponents of a Yes vote in the planned re-run of the referendum are ignoring the racial tensions which arise from people's fears about an influx of asylum seekers and refugees. She said these issues must be addressed upfront by Government before people can have the confidence to endorse Nice.

Ms Lynch said she does not believe Irish people are especially racist but she argued that their fears in recent years have been fed by a feeling that the authorities are not properly in control of the immigration issue. The Cork North Central TD said there was an unfounded fear that EU enlargement would mean a huge increase in immigrants from the former East Bloc states.