Madam, - As the naysayers and the yaysayers on the Lisbon Treaty organise their pawns and bishops into two opposing camps once more, may I suggest that they execute their moves in accordance with the rules of the game.
All moves must be justified by reference to the actual text of the treaty, such that the statement "the treaty will be good for science in Ireland" shall cite p.113, Section 136 A, wherein it is stated that "The Union shall have the objective of strengthening its scientific and technological bases by achieving a European research area in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely".
Similarly, the statement, "The Lisbon Treaty undermines Irish neutrality" should cite the relevant corresponding section. If there is no such text, then the argument does not stand.
Substantiated arguments based on the text itself will avoid the speciousness of declarations like "If Ireland votes No then X will occur" and "If X supports the treaty then it cannot be good for me", which hitherto have plagued the debate.
May I also suggest that readers take advantage of the website www.reformtreaty.ie, where official information, including the treaty text itself, can be found and consulted. - Yours, etc,
Madam, - John O'Brennan (Opinion, December 9th) proffers a profoundly undemocratic argument for rerunning the Lisbon Treaty referendum.
Mr O'Brennan states that Ireland's failure to ratify the treaty is inequitable given the (near) ratification by the other 26 member states.
Mr O'Brennan fails to appreciate that the European Union acts as a community of sovereign states each with an equal say as to the constitutional rules that form the basis of their membership.
To follow Mr O'Brennan's contention through to its logical conclusion, smaller member states would never have a say as to the content, form and substance of European treaties if, as he puts it, "[they] block the introduction of a. . . framework accepted by the democratically elected representatives of 495 million EU citizens".
Mr O'Brennan's argument that voters should be reminded of the benefits of the European Union in the current economic downturn ignores the substantive reason for the failure of the Yes campaign last June.
Selling European treaties on the basis of a simplistic notion that "Europe is good for us" will no longer wash with the Irish people.
Mr O'Brennan's contention that in "appealing to the more material instincts of Irish citizens" the Irish Government could more easily produce its desired result, displays an appalling disregard for electorate and the substantive issues at the heart of Lisbon.
Let us hope that any future referendum campaign will be fought on the issues as they are presented on the ballot paper and not the irrational economics of fear that Mr O'Brennan and his ilk would so like to talk about. - Yours, etc,
Madam, - Alain Lamassoure (Opinion, December 10th) begins his piece as he means to go on: with a question irrelevant to the merits of the Lisbon Treaty. Whether or not Ireland has gained from its EU membership has nothing to do with whether or not we should ratify the treaty.
He continues his digression by mentioning the role played by prominent Irish people in the EU, again, irrelevant to the treaty, and the role of Irish troops in Darfur, which could just as well, and more appropriately, be performed as part of a UN operation. Then he switches to what surely must be satire: he talks of the citizens seizing power, when, in fact, most EU citizens have not had the opportunity to vote on the Treaty.
It is ironic that those who clamour for a second referendum in Ireland are so hostile to the idea of a first referendum anywhere else.
Finally, he rather condescendingly suggests some changes we could make to our constitution in language that ordinary people will understand. I may not be one of Mr Lamassoure's experts, but I do understand that he is trying to present as a constitutional crisis in Ireland what is in fact a crisis only for the political leaders of the EU and their functionaries in Brussels.- Yours, etc,