Fine Gael Incompetence Bodes well for NO! 2 Lisbon Campaigners.

Aine Downes
Ógra Shinn Féin

It is in the opinion of this writer to get an all-round view of arguments for, as well as against on the issue of the Lisbon treaty.

It’s important to gain an insight into the minds and of course the arguments put forward by the opposition side as well as one’s own.


And so this is what took me on my merry way down to Buswells Hotel last week to the Young Fine Gael debate on all things Lisbon.

Ridiculously out-numbered by Young FGers and feeling a little underdressed (everyone was in suits) I wondered as to the very small attendance and also the odd choice of guest speakers on the ‘No’ side’.

Now, if you believe everything you read on a certain political discussion forum you will find that it was originally planned that Patricia McKenna would represent the ‘No’ side but her invitation mysteriously disappeared after the baby-blueshirts received a little telling off from HQ. Hmmm...

As for the small attendance, it seems that very little advertising was actually done save a couple of posts on a few websites.

Expecting an interesting debate, to say the least with Lucinda Creighton and Alan Dukes on the ‘yes’ side and Finnian McGrath and David Quinn on the ‘No’ side of things, the reason none of our esteemed speakers nor any high-profile, competent ‘No’ campaigners were asked to be present became abundantly clear when fresher TD, Lucinda opened her mouth.

Reading carefully from her ready-prepared speech, Creighton outlined what she said were three, distinct new challenges which we face in Europe and which the Lisbon Treaty sets out to address. These were energy, the environment and peace-keeping.

She did however not elaborate on any of these three, save a brief mention of the fantastic would-be EU army which would save us from judgement day itself!

She also described in detail about how the Lisbon Treaty sets out to make the EU more democratic, something that made this writer feel just a little bit uneasy considering the fact that, should a ‘yes’ vote be obtained 105 new powers to the EU will be appointed and 68 vetoes lost therefore causing Ireland to lose its power to stop laws not in our interest.

We lose our commissioner for 5 out of every 15 years. There will be a 50% drop in the states voting strength in the council of ministers, not to mention the single legal personality which the EU will become, allowing it to behave like a state.

Lucinda if you’re reading this I would suggest that you rethink your definition of democracy. Just a suggestion.

When I relayed these details to dear old Lucy (to the chorus of groans of disgust at the dirty shinner in the background) she seemed reluctant to offer any sort of rebuttal preferring to press ahead with the ready-made YFG questions instead.

When this writer quizzed her on the huge erosion of our neutrality that would coincide with a common foreign and defence system she took this very much to heart, crying out:

“I reject that comment, our so-called neutrality has nothing to fear from the Lisbon Treaty!”.

Well…I think that sums it all up nicely.

Don’t you?