Sir, - I welcome the debate on Europe that has resulted from the rejection of the Nice treaty. When I consider the overall European project, from a human behaviour perspective, the result is not surprising. The whole point of structural funding was to take an impoverished, peripheral, backward country to an equal economic standing with the greats of Central Europe. It is obvious that there would also be a confidence shift from a begging, unquestioning, accepting attitude to a confident, assertive one.
In the past we were all glad to accept the money and not ask too many questions or rock the boat; after all that's what poor, vulnerable people do. In effect, our current confident, questioning attitude is testimony to the success of the structural project.
It surprises me, then, that the Government and the European Hierarchy are shocked when we demonstrate our new-found confidence by critically analysing the referendum question and having the courage to say no. - Yours, etc.,
Martin Conroy, Tuam Co Galway