Madam, - As the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty approaches, it is no surprise to see Sinn Féin playing the scaremongering role it has in all previous referendums. Mary Lou McDonald (February 2nd), herself a member of the European Parliament, knowingly distorts facts to claim that the Lisbon Treaty "contains the most extensive erosion of Ireland's neutrality" to date.
No doubt we will see Sinn Féin posters misleadingly proclaiming that a Yes vote is a vote for conscription, as was the case with the Nice Treaty.
Article 11 does indeed state the EU wishes to pursue a common defence policy as part of its Common, Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). However, as Ms McDonald fails to mention, despite it being the subsequent paragraph in the treaty, the CFSP "shall be defined and implemented by the European Council and the Council acting unanimously". Hence, as with taxation policy, Ireland has a veto and will not be obliged to enter a common defence policy.
Ms McDonald also quotes Article 28: "Member States shall undertake progressively to improve their military capabilities." I would sincerely hope, treaty or no treaty, that we would undertake progressively to improve our Defence Forces. They play an important and much under-appreciated role as peacekeepers in many trouble spots around the globe.
The referendum on the Lisbon Treaty is an important event, not just for Irish people, but for the EU as a whole. The least we can do is have a rational debate about it and its contents. Ms McDonald and her party would do well to contribute positively to that debate rather than engage in misleading and cynical propaganda and the distortion of facts. - Yours, etc,
TOM WARD, Monastery Road, Dublin 22.
A Chara, - Chris Andrews TD (February 1st) laments the ignorance of EU citizens about the structure and leadership of their Union. It is indeed an unwieldy maze - one in which he himself has gone astray.
He cites Dimitrij Rupel, the foreign minister of Slovenia, as the current President of the European Council. In fact, the current President of the Council is Janez Jana, the Slovenian prime minister. The European Council is made up of heads of state or government, not foreign ministers.
Mr Andrews gets further bogged down when he asks: "Who knows, if the next president of the European Council is Irish, wouldn't we be proud?" We would be proud, but also surprised, because the presidency rotates in a sequence set out well in advance. As it happens, we already know that the next President of the European Council will be President Sarkozy of France. - Is mise,
CIARÁN MAC AONGHUSA, Churchtown, Dublin 14.