Madam, -The European Union conducts a biannual opinion poll called Eurobarometer, for which 30,000 people in 30 countries answer a wide variety of questions about European matters.
The question that I find most interesting from an Irish point of view is: Are we in favour of a common European security and defence policy? The highlights of the latest Eurobarometer have just been published, and 58 per cent of Irish respondents support a common European defence with 23 per cent against (The Irish Times, July 19th).
This is not a fluke. In Eurobarometer polls over the past six years support for a common European defence policy among Irish people has ranged from 50 per cent to 61 cent, with opposition varying from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.
This is strange, because the common political and media mantra is that Irish people are in favour of neutrality. Now we can't be in favour of both neutrality and a common European defence policy, can we?
Either we are hypocrites, or Eurobarometer is a load of cobblers, or Irish politicians and journalists have been fibbing to us for years.
What I find fascinating is that this strong popular support in favour of abolishing neutrality and joining a common European defence policy exists in a political and media environment where nearly everybody except Fine Gael supports neutrality, is staunchly opposed to Irish troops training and working with British troops, is against the US-led action in Iraqi, and is aghast at American troops using Shannon Airport.
Imagine what the support in Ireland for a common European defence would be if there was more vocal political and media support for it. You have to ask yourself why Bertie Ahern keeps pretending that Ireland is a neutral country.
The Taoiseach should admit that Irish neutrality is a sham. Most Irish people know that it is a joke, most Irish people are against it. He is only making himself look stupid pretending otherwise. - Yours, etc,
JASON FITZHARRIS, Rivervalley, Swords, Co Dublin.