Sir, – Ireland now has an opportunity to get out of the so-called southern countries grouping that has been given the awful acronym PIIGS. We will do that by signing up for fiscally responsible rules that will instead associate us with the responsible, efficient, mature economies at the core.
This means voting Yes in the forthcoming referendum.
Then our representatives at the Council [of Ministers] (where the power is and where the participants have been democratically elected by the citizens of their individual countries, despite all the noise about a “democratic deficit”) can confidently claim full participation in the measures that can and will be undertaken to grow the euro zone economy as a whole.
Expecting growth to be paid for by the countries that have a track record of proper financial management (Germany, The Netherlands, Finland, Austria) while the free riders of the zone continue to be facilitated in their habits is naive in the extreme, and it is irresponsible of the Irish left to represent to the people that anything other than disciplined fiscal management is a practical proposition within the euro zone.
Outside of it is another matter entirely – that way lies utter chaos, especially for a small, open economy like ours in a globalised marketplace.
I will be voting Yes. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – In his analysis of the latest Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll for the forthcoming referendum (Front page, May 26th) Stephen Collins observes “strong backing from middle-class voters while working-class voters remain opposed to the treaty”.
This ought to come as no surprise. The Irish Times (virtually a 100 per cent middle-class newspaper) is strongly in favour of a Yes vote, as are most of our opinion-formers, even though we are faced with a political and economic conundrum.
The explanation for the divide is tragically simple. Austerity has been imposed by the rich and their middle-class allies on the poor and vulnerable. The Labour Party is now unworthy of that name and will surely in due course follow the PDs and Greens into well-deserved oblivion. Let austerity instead be imposed on the Lucinda Creightons of this world who have shown such callous disregard for the pain of ordinary Irish citizens (whom God bless). – Yours, etc,
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A chara, – Seán L’Estrange (May 28th) voices concern about the wording of the amendment. He will be reassured to know that the wording is no different to the form that has routinely been used to allow the State to ratify European treaties. In 1972, we voted to insert a new Article 29.4.3, “The State may become a member of the European Coal and Steel Community (established by Treaty signed at Paris on the 18th day of April, 1951), the European Economic Community (established by Treaty signed at Rome on the 25th day of March, 1957) and the European Atomic Energy Community (established by Treaty signed at Rome on the 25th day of March, 1957). No provision of this Constitution invalidates laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by the State necessitated by the obligations of membership of the Communities or prevents laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by the Communities, or institutions thereof, from having the force of law in the State.”
On Thursday, we are being asked to ratify only the treaty agreed on March 2nd of this year. Any further changes which would conflict with our Constitution would have to be put to the people, as was done seven times between 1972 and this year’s referendum, on each occasion with a similar form of words. – Is mise,
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Sir, – Isn’t it amazing that men require a treaty in order to understand “good housekeeping with budgets”. Women have been doing this successfully for years! – Yours, etc,
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A chara, – While it may very well be true, as Dan O’Brien opines (Business This Week, May 25th), that successive Irish administrations have been remiss in terms of both the principles and practice of fiscal governance, the solution is surely “get your own house in order” and not hand over economic reform to some colonial Big Brother in Berlin? – Is mise,
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Sir, – I’m confused by the large Sinn Féin placard on the Tallaght bypass. It says “Yes to Jobs; No to Austerity” so, naturally, I imagine that they want us to vote Yes. However, their stated position is they want us to vote No. A real head-scratcher! Obviously, clarity is not too high on the Sinn Féin communications strategy which seems to be as confused and as convoluted as their economic policy! – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Shane Ross has announced he is calling for a No vote, after a prolonged period of sitting on the fence, despite, as mentioned in Harry McGee’s article (Home News, May 28th), the “strong support for the fiscal treaty in his constituency”. Dublin South has a strong record of voting in accordance with the national interest and so I am sure many of his own constituents will not be impressed that Mr Ross takes such an opposite stance. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The proposed fiscal treaty would on its own worsen our social and economic crisis. It imposes limits on borrowing, but contains no commitment to replacing the lost spending capacity through fair taxes on wealth or income. The loss would probably, given the Government’s ideological obsessions and their bias in favour of the privileged, result in further unfair and harmful cuts and taxes.
It includes no commitment to pursuing equality, required for a healthy society. It includes no commitment to investment in infrastructure, education and training, or research and development, required for a thriving economy. It therefore offers no solution to the crisis and doesn’t even appear be aimed at doing so.
Opponents of the treaty are sometimes called anti-European. On the contrary, a vote against would be an act of solidarity with people across the EU as well as an assertion of our own interests. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – If a No vote were to prevail on Thursday, could Ireland’s “punishment” please be commuted to permanent exclusion from the Eurovision? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The use of referendums in the formulation of public policy-making is a well established feature of Irish politics. But is this wise?
Public opinion is fickle, ill-informed, contradictory and mainly responsive to the ephemeral issues prevailing at the time. Are the chattering classes in the village square really up to the job of separating the wheat from the chaff in complex issues? As the late American comedian George Burns once remarked, it was such a pity that those who knew how to run the country were too busy cutting hair or driving cabs. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Danny McCoy of Ibec says that there is not a single benefit to be gained from No vote (Opinion, May 25th). He may be right, but surely the same applies to a Yes vote?
The main argument of the Yes side is that a Yes vote will ensure that Ireland can continue to borrow more money, which will bankrupt our future generations even more. Therefore, with no good reason for voting Yes or No, perhaps we should vote No to express our concerns towards all our politicians, now that we know that the Fianna Fáil/Green government bailed out Anglo Irish Bank just to save the euro, regardless of the interests of the Irish people. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Sinn Féin’s Southern Irish supporters seem to have missed the link between voting No, being expelled from the euro and having our new currency pegged to sterling.
It’s possible that political ambition down South has blinded it to the fact that our globalised world today means we should never be able to have an independent currency again. Or is its cunning plan the joining of the two Irelands through sterling? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Does the fact that Ireland awarded 10 points to Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest augur well for the Yes side in the referendum? – Yours, etc,