Yes or no, my life will remain unaltered

THERE is huge confusion surrounding the Lisbon Treaty so I took time to try and make sense of it.

It seems there is one group of people advocating a no vote because of the fear that bureaucrats in Europe might introduce legislation forcing us to change our ways against our will. For instance, we could be ordered to dig up our lawns and plant rape seed for the production of biofuel. It could also be decreed that we must all move our houses to a south-facing position and install solar panels to help with energy conservation.

We have another group telling us to vote no to prevent abortion, prostitution, euthanasia, same-sex marriages and more.

You can see the dilemma. I’m quite happy looking to the east and I don’t particularly want to kill my granny.

What we get if we vote yes isn’t clear either because the Statement for the Information of Voters seems to be written in algebra but it does appear that certain things get annexed and ratified while more get secured by protocol.

We are told we have benefited from EU membership and we shouldn’t rock the boat now, We should be grateful for what we have: rising interest rates, plummeting house prices, exorbitant fuel prices, rising crime rates, poor health care, tribunals, etc.

I thought about advocating for another category — a ‘maybe’ option but then I discounted that because we would only be encouraging a ‘maybe not’ group.

Another option would be not to vote at all but that flies in the face of our constitutional right to vote.

So I have to vote, and I have to vote either yes or no. They are my choices.

If the yes vote wins, presumably things go on as before with no noticeable change to my daily existence. If the no vote wins, presumably the powers that be go back to the drawing board and have another go, with no noticeable change to my daily existence.

Trevor Laffan

24 Copperfields

Rushbrooke

Cobh