Let’s look to the heart of Europe — Switzerland

THE Lisbon II vote is a straight run off between those who ardently believe in democracy and those who have despaired of it cutting the mustard any more. The Yes’s do have a point.

Democracy depends entirely upon good candidates coming forward and the voters doing their job. If either falls down on the job the result is — well — it’s all around us, isn’t it?

Party loyalty can have no place in this enormous decision. What we are presented with by the Yes side is at best the likelihood of improved efficiency of government and further enlargement with Turkey joining. Turkey is strategically important on the world stage for military, gas and oil reasons. And without Lisbon the EU cannot legally bring them in.

With regard to the proposed trade-off of improved efficiency for loss of democracy we have to agree with the Yes’s to some extent. Even in Ireland the democratic process is slow. With 27 different nations and languages, and Turkey’s 75 million Muslims possibly soon to be added, the EU process is bound to be excruciatingly slow. Nonetheless, except in time of war, can we seriously entertain anything less than democracy?

Now I for one could not bear to be locked into a society modelled on totalitarian thinking. Such an attempt at control of the individual is what impoverished and eventually brought down the Soviet Union. It could ruin Europe too. Most people fear it could involve us in ruinous intercontinental wars. But is there no alternative between weak democracy and strong but highly dangerous totalitarianism? Indeed there is.

We could take a leaf out of Switzerland’s book.

Strong democracy and real subsidiarity there have yielded peace for 300 years. So let us have more democracy, not less. Ireland should be passing power down to county and town councils where leaders are visible, approachable and accountable at the ballot box. They should not be taking it from the people and passing it up to a faceless and unreachable bureaucracy in Brussels. It will be a very sad day for me if Irish people abandon their dignity, their hard-won heritage of freedom all to curry favour with the powers that be in Brussels. And all for hope of a quick financial fix from German banks.

Suspicion is rife among economists that NAMA is designed not just to let our Irish banks off the hook but even more the German and European ones that were also involved in our property bubble. So instead of those who took a risk too many paying the inevitable price, the Irish electorate are going to be made pay heavily for generations to come, with a stagnant economy, emigration and impaired services.

We are told and I suspect that it is true — that most European citizens do not want Lisbon and its inbuilt charter. Both France and Holland have already voted by referendum against what was essentially the same proposal. If we vote No then Britain will be given a referendum next year and is nearly certain to vote No. With Lisbon passed Brussels gets what it wants and the 3,100 very discrete lobbying firms based in Brussels are absolutely delighted. For them their well paid job becomes like spearing fish in a barrel. I’m told they maintain even their own legal teams and often prepare the actual laws word perfect that get adopted by the Commission and passed in the Council.

Their clients are multinationals for whom the financial stakes can be huge. So these highly skilled “persuaders” , compliments of the Irish voter, get all the decision makers gathered permanently under their noses. They get what they want. Irish TDs get what they want: a much easier life. Irish government ministers even get a little more power. Only we the people lose almost all power — and we the people hardly seem to know or care what we stand to lose. Let October 2 be the day Ireland awoke from its long sleep and came out en masse to vote No. Future generations of Irish and other Europeans will bless us.

Brian Flanagan

Ardeelan

Buncrana

Co Donegal