Madam, – RE Thornton (August 5th) asks whether a Yes vote in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty will alter the current situation in Irish law that conflicting provisions of the Constitution trump those in the Convention.
This is a non sequitur as the Lisbon Treaty concerns the organisation, competence and scope of the European Union. It is entirely distinct from the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), which is adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe and bears no connection to the Lisbon Treaty or the European Union.
Far from having to “hand over important Constitutional rights to Europe”, it would seem that Europe [sic] in this instance has served to help identify and uphold constitutional Freedom of Expression. Your newspaper is indeed to be congratulated on the win. – Yours, etc,