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A STARK, FRIGHTENING reality exists as the world has changed since the Lisbon Treaty was rejected in a referendum 13 months ago. Now, voters are being given a second chance to consider that verdict in the context of legal guarantees concerning military neutrality, control of taxation, family matters, education and the retention of an Irish commissioner. These assurances are important. The defining issue for Lisbon, second time round, is whether Ireland wants to stand financially isolated or part of a strong and supportive European Union.

Voters have had many reasons to think long and hard about their future in the current crisis. It is not just the economic landscape that has changed. Political leadership has come under intense and critical scrutiny during the past year. Support for the Government has fallen precipitately. Fine Gael has overtaken Fianna Fáil as the largest political party in the State. The Green Party was hammered in the local elections. And Libertas leader Declan Ganley, who played a pivotal role in the first referendum, announced his withdrawal from public life after failing to win a seat in the European Parliament. These new circumstances offer an opportunity for a reasoned and constructive debate about the terms of the treaty as they affect Irish interests now.