Fiscal treaty referendum vote will be just an illusion of democracy

TOMORROW, the nation goes to the polls to decide the fate of the Fiscal Treaty and, whatever the result, at least we can imminently look forward to the end of one of the most unedifying political campaigns in recent memory.

Those on the yes side have warned us that Ireland’s precarious economic fortunes will deteriorate even further if the treaty is rejected, with the country precluded from accessing cheap credit via the ESM fund, while the no side has cautioned that accepting the treaty will do the exact same thing by forcing successive governments to implement a never-ending spiral of austerity measures that will ensure the economy never returns to growth.

Enda Kenny has opined that the referendum result is of more consequence than even a general election result, yet couldn’t be bothered to enter a TV studio to engage in a debate on the treaty, while those on the no side have tried to introduce so many extraneous issues into their campaign that one wonders if many of them have bothered to read the damn thing.