Opposition unites to demand Europe referendum
Fianna Fáil chief Micheál Martin denied his party was jumping on a bandwagon as it hardened its stance on the issue after Sinn Féin had led the pace on attacking Government “arrogance”.
Mr Martin insisted “the people’s judgment” should be trusted and it was “morally right” to allow them to vote given the crucial nature of the country’s relationship with Europe.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said it was a matter for the Attorney General, Máire Whelan, to decide and that in any event, the country would be given “very adequate” information regarding what fiscal union involved.
He compared this with the way Fianna Fáil had “given away” the country’s economic sovereignty to the IMF/EU in the November 2010 bail-out when the nation had been kept in the dark about the facts.
Socialist TD Joe Higgins insisted the Government had signed-up to an “austerity treaty” and should now allow the people to give their verdict on it. He accused Transport Minister Leo Varadkar of branding Irish people “stupid” when he claimed voters would mix-up a fiscal union referendum with other issues.
Mr Higgins said it did not take much of leap to link the proposed fiscal union with related matters such as health and welfare cuts and bank bail-outs.
Heated exchanges erupted in the Dáil as Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams accused the Taoiseach of acting like an “eejit” and “amadán” by allowing himself to be “patted on the head” by the French president at the EU summit in a “buddy buddy” way.
Mr Kenny hit back saying: “You yourself were ‘buddy, buddy’ with some very shadowy creatures over the past 30 years.”
Mr Martin denied Fianna Fáil was pandering to flip-flop populism on the issue, after saying his party was speaking to lawyers about mounting a challenge in the courts if the Attorney General rules against the need for a referendum.
“It’s been handled very badly. People are perpetually in the dark about the contents of this treaty, what it means and what it’s about.
“At a EU level, there is an absolute need to bring the people with you at a crucial juncture on the journey towards recovery and renewal.
“I think if you ignore the people too much, you do so at your peril. You do need to engage the citizens more on what the EU was about.”
Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald also indicated her party could mount a legal challenge to force a referendum. “We are actively receiving legal advice, that is ongoing, and we will look at any and all measures to stop this implementation of this agreement and to ensure that people have their democratic say.”
* “My understanding is that it’s a fig leaf for Angela Merkel to assuage any concerns of the German parliament so they can put more money into the banks for debt restructuring so this would ease repayments for the banks by the government. It would then give more money to the Government to spend on growth and jobs.
“The EU, overall, has been very good for Ireland. Any decisions that would push us to the periphery or outside Europe overall, it’s not good for our country... it’s better if we were at the centre of Ireland rather than on the periphery.”
* “It’s absolutely not clear on what is meant by deficit limits and how that’s to be interpreted, which is significant overall. What is clear is that it is a recipe for disaster for a co-ordinated contraction across Europe and that will not address problems of Ireland and Europe.
“It’s about using the ECB like the Fed [the US central bank]. It’s a key to recovery and there won’t be growth unless there’s co-ordinated investment. The question is whether this agreement is a precursor to a more aggressive approach for Germany and there’s some speculation that it is. But there’s no clear indication.
“The important question is not so much about a referendum or whether or not we need to amend the constitution, but what the outcome or the result is with a debt brake being written into perpetuity here.
“We would be extremely concerned about the medium- to long-term implications about enshrining this into the Constitution.”
* “I think there’s a need for more specifics to be told to citizens so they understand the long-term issues of the treaty. On the positive side, there’s talk of a pay holiday for countries, but the trouble is if you fall into difficulties [with your finances], then penalties will be significant. What’s the long-term outcome?
“It’s important that there is a referendum... We’re all supposed to be EU citizens. If we are, let’s be treated like that.”
* “The IFA believes that stability in the eurozone is critical for growth and recovery. The agreement... is one of a number of measures that, it is hoped, will contribute to achieving this.
“Ireland’s interests are best served by the survival of the euro. We support the Government’s position that the way forward for the euro must include a sustainable path for recovery and growth in Ireland and in Europe.
* “There’s no changes for the banks here. If they go mad with the money, they can still be guaranteed to get it back. The treaty does nothing to rectify the recklessness engaged with by the banks. There’s nothing to stop it happening all over again.”
* “We will have to see what and see what the Attorney General says. If the advice that there has to be [a referendum], then we have to have one. there has been some speed in putting the treaty together but among the impetus, there needs to be solution towards growth and jobs. With regards to the bailout, they need to look at it so it is not just a Franco-German dictate and that we have more discussions with countries we are close with, like the Netherlands.”
* “The new fiscal compact is an important step towards resolving the eurozone debt crisis, although from a business perspective it is likely to have limited impact, given the ambitious deficit reduction commitments Ireland has already signed up to.
“It is vital the EU matches deficit and debt-reduction commitments with robust measure to support growth and job creation.”
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