Our power of veto will fade away under the treaty

JUDGE Iarfhlaith O’Neill, chairman of the Referendum Commission, has helpfully pointed us to the commission’s website (www.lisbontreaty2008.ie) to get the facts on the treaty (Letters, May 10).

The original remit of the commission was to outline arguments for and against whatever referendum was being held and this would inform voters on what was beneficial to them and the aspects that would harm their interests.

The simple thinking was that voters could then make an informed decision.

Of course, after we learned what the Nice Treaty would mean for us — and thus informed, we voted against it — our political masters then decided against telling us the pros and cons in future referenda.

So, Judge O’Neill’s website cannot warn you against the problems for us in the Lisbon Treaty and it merely states the facts as it sees them.

This is not to criticise the judge because he is only doing what the politicians tell him to do.

However, if you read the facts as presented, with our Governments veto in mind, you will learn that “at present, some decisions by the council must be made unanimously”. This is where our veto can be used. The rest of the decisions are made by qualified majority voting (QMV) and we have no veto to apply to this process.

The document then continues to explain that “if ratified, the treaty would increase the number of areas where QMV will apply and change the QMV voting system within the council from 2014”.

So our opportunity to veto anything will decrease and these QMVs will apply in the areas of agriculture, competition rules, consumer protection, environment and judicial co-operation in criminal matters.

It is further planned that energy, asylum, immigration, judicial co-operation in civil matters and sport will also be covered by the QMV system. It appears that anything can be transferred to the QMV system and then passed with a majority.

This means if we vote ‘yes’ to Lisbon, a majority of 74% in a vote would be enough to carry the motion with no veto available to member states.

In 2014, this required majority will fall to 55% (with the qualification that this must represent 65% of the population of Europe).

Quite simply, if a motion is put forward in Europe that, for example, we should invade Saudi Arabia and we naturally vote against it, if two-thirds are in favour, then our Army Rangers are off to the hot sands for a fight we don’t believe in.

Similarly, a vote by liberal Europeans could make it the law that abortion be available in all states, including Ireland.

This is not to say these things will happen, but if we vote yes, we are agreeing to allow such things to happen in the future and we will have no comeback.

Under our constitution, if our own politicians went a bit mad, we could stop them, but we have no chance of stopping a qualified majority vote of 65% in Europe.

Of course, the Referendum Commission’s website won’t tell you that because they have been gagged by our politicians who simply want us to vote yes because they say so.

I get the uneasy feeling that we are being bullied and lied to about the Lisbon Treaty, and if you have that feeling also, then vote no.

John Mallon

Shamrock Grove

Mayfield

Cork