Nothing sinister

DESPITE the best efforts of the No side to whip up a frenzy of fear, it is now clear there is nothing sinister in the Lisbon Treaty.

The legal guarantees ensure that our tax rates, our stance on neutrality and our control over sensitive issues such as abortion will not be affected.

The treaty is a solid, safe, sensible document. It will not transform life as we know it, but it will make the EU more streamlined and therefore more effective. The thrust of the document is to help the EU, which has expanded rapidly, to put its house in order. Ireland can only benefit from being part of stronger, more coherent union.