TJERK WESTERTERP,
Sir, - I read the article "Ahern to push Yes campaign before any Nice date" (The Irish Times, August 31st) with great interest. I understand from this that the Taoiseach is waiting until the Yes campaign "is fully up and running" before deciding on a date for the second Nice referendum. In order to ensure that Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators will campaign at full throttle (sic!) for a Yes vote on Nice, a special gathering will be held in Killarney on September 17th and 18th.
I fully respect the right of the Irish Government and members of the Irish Parliament to influence the Irish people to vote in favour of the Nice Treaty at the second referendum. But may I, as a former member and vice-president of the European Parliament (1967 to 1971), respectfully call on the Irish voters to withstand this massive pressure and vote No?
Why? In my opinion the Nice Treaty is - on balance - a bad treaty. The heads of state and of government failed when they negotiated this Treaty. Especially, the negotiators did not succeed in realising their aim, which was to prepare the institutions of the European Union for the forthcoming extension of our Union with 10 or more new member-states. They also failed in closing the so-called democratic deficit of the Union, which consists of insufficient European parliamentary control and legislative powers, now that the influence of national parliaments in the European Union have dwindled.
As Dutch Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1971-1973) I was co-signator of the Treaty of Accession of the United Kingdom to the European Community. So I hope it is clear I am not opposed to the further extension of the European Union. However, if this extension with a number of former communist countries will be realised without a fundamental democratic reform of the Union, I fear the actual democratic deficit will remain "for eternity".
The Irish people have the unique opportunity to possibly prevent this from happening. May the Irish voters take this important fact into account at the second referendum. I was proud of the Irish people having voted in majority No at the first referendum on Nice. As a Dutchman and citizen of the European Union, I sincerely do hope that we may continue to be proud of Ireland. A No vote will not be a vote against Europe. On the contrary! - Yours, etc.,
TJERK WESTERTERP,
(Former Secretary of State,
Foreign Affairs),
Breda-Ulvenhout,
The Netherlands.
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Sir, - It was interesting to read in your report, "O'Dea pours scorn on Coughlan, Barrett", that Willie O'Dea accuses Anthony Coughlan of being a man who cannot take yes for an answer. Does Mr O'Dea not find it ironic that he is a member of a Government that cannot take no for an answer? - Yours, etc.,
CIAN MERNE,
De Courcey Square,
Dublin 9.