The people decide – not the politicians

FOREIGN Minister Micheál Martin obviously doesn’t get how democracy works. He says that “parties opposed to the (Lisbon) treaty have no mandate to continue working against the best interests of the country”.

Mr Martin would do well to remember a few things. The Crotty case is the reason we have referenda on these things because the court found it was not correct for the Dáil alone to decide such issues.

Therefore, TDs and ministers have no mandate on this question, unless given one by agreement of the people in a referendum. And in that referendum, Micheál Martin’s vote is worth neither more nor less than yours or mine.