EU citizens don’t want an unelected superstate

THE Luxembourg prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, whose country currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, recently made the puerile statement that “nearly half the 454 million EU citizens have already backed the charter”.

He was referring to the constitution that would have formally relegated the nations of Europe to provinces of an unelected superstate.

Not so fast, Herr Juncker; it was backed not by the people of Europe, but by a few dozen politicians, not one of whom has engaged in full debate with their own voters.

France was the first country to have a referendum, and we all know the result. Ireland has been protected so far only by our constitutional necessity for referenda on issues of this kind.

Had the EU constitution come into force, it would have been our own last referendum. Now maybe, at very long last, the European politicians will have to stop playing with words and begin acting like the public servants they are.

We want a partnership of independent nations - not a superstate imposed from the top.

And then, to add insult to injury, entire nations were lectured that they had “backed” the proposed constitution when, in fact, they have never been asked for their views.

‘Yes’ to Europe. ‘No’ to the EU superstate!

Micheál Ó Fearghail

Loreto

Sallybrook House

Glanmire

Co Cork