Sir, – It's good to see The Irish Times(Editorial, November 19th) in commenting on possible EU treaty changes, simply states a fact. Any prudent lender will naturally require assurances from a borrower and is perfectly entitled to ask for a range of securities and safeguards to minimise the risk. In Ireland's (and indeed all other EU states') case, if this requires a change to the EU treaty to allow closer budget scrutiny then so be it – it's a not unreasonable request. The notion that the EU has some form of responsibility to hand over money without us having any corresponding responsibility appears to be well established in Ireland.
It’s time we accepted that there really is no such thing as a free lunch! So, in advance of the anticipated outcry from those who seem to want to oppose any form of change in our relationship with the EU; I believe your Editorial sends out a clear and honest message. Why our Government does not also say this is surprising! – Yours, etc,