SEANAD REPORT:PEOPLE IN other European countries were, according to press reports, complaining that they had been robbed of the right to vote on the Lisbon Treaty, David Norris (Ind) said.
It was perfectly clear that senior European politicians did not trust their own people. He had always been an enthusiastic European and had supported every treaty up to now, though with growing reservations because of the incremental militarisation of the European Union.
We had a Taoiseach and an EU commissioner who had acknowledged that they had not fully read the treaty. There was now the worrying situation where the chairman of the Referendum Commission had acknowledged that some aspects of the treaty were completely impenetrable. "This is the man who is in charge of the Referendum Commission and is supposed to explain it."
Mr Norris, who opposes the treaty, said that some of those on the No side were an embarrassment. He had heard people say that the adoption of the treaty would lead to gay marriage, access to abortion, free contraception and euthanasia. "If I thought that was the case, I'd be out campaigning for it, but I acknowledge that it most definitely is not, and that should not be used as an argument against the treaty."
Speaking on a report on the enhanced role of national parliaments in the treaty, Mr Norris complained that he had recently asked a series of questions in the Seanad about the European Defence Agency, but had received no answer to his queries. That was not democracy.
Minister for European Affairs Dick Roche said he agreed with Ivana Bacik (Ind) that there was a need for a greater involvement of women in the debate. "There is, and I don't understand it, a reluctance and a concern, particularly among women, and it shows in all of the polls, that needs to be addressed by women engaging in the debate."
Mr Roche, who said that he had read the entire treaty, told the House that 95-96 per cent of the treaty was based on what had been in the constitutional treaty.
Ms Bacik said she thought that the treaty deserved support because of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The charter contained many socio-economic rights, such as the right to healthcare, which deserved support and which were not in our Constitution at present.
Feargal Quinn (Ind) said he would be much happier to have this country as part of a defence pact involving a mutual protection arrangement with our European colleagues.
Dan Boyle (GP), deputy Government leader in the House, said there was still a lot of uncertainty about the outcome of the referendum campaign. A large group of voters had yet to make up their minds. People were wavering between a Yes and a No vote because of the uncertainty created by those in the Opposition camp.
Eugene Regan (FG) said we had been subjected by the British press in Ireland to a barrage of criticism in respect of the Lisbon Treaty, in particular in the Sunday Times, by representatives of a UK-based organisation, Open Europe, which was apparently linked to the UK Independence Party. "I accept the right to free press. However, we should know from where these viewpoints are coming."