WHY ARE WE FOOLS ? WHAT HAVE WE BECOME ?

Lisbon no, democracy yes: why we must reject the Lisbon treaty.

There was considerable furore in Europe when the Irish electorate rejected the Lisbon treaty in the referendum last year. Suddenly the eyes of the more powerful turned to Ireland in shock as they watched their prized treaty falter, then fail. You see they had reason to be surprised for they had been assured by our leaders that the treaty would be passed, for after all they had all the main parties and the media cheerleading it up till polling day. Then something remarkable happened. The people said no. the people defied the wish of the politicians. A shocking development? Well no not really. For the politicians are in fact nothing more than the powerful and elite. Whilst one time they may have represented the man on the street they are at this stage completely out of touch with the day to day struggles of thousands of Irish people. Their arrogance in expecting the people to follow orders and vote as they told them was breathtaking. Their years of treating the people as expendable and powerless to stop them came crashing down and they were forced to turn to their puppet masters in Brussels to explain. Only they didnt. they didnt explain that the people didnt want the treaty that they were sick of a corrupt and incompetent government. Instead they passed it off as a minor hitch in the overall plan. The treaty would be rerun. The treaty would be passed whether by consent or by force.

Those of us ranged in opposition were not surprised by this measure. This government has no other option for they have become enthralled with the European project. they find much to admire in this project. For it ensures that a minority will dictate the lives of millions from positions of power, prestige and cronyism. For them Europe is merely a wider version of their activities on Irish soil. They care little for the rights of the Irish workers so long as they are receiving a healthy pay packet from Brussels. They will sell off Irish rights to govern our own nation so long as they have their bellys scratched by Sarkozy and company. We have Fianna Fail the so called republican party trying their utmost to ensure the sacrifice of thousands of Irishmen to secure our independence was in vain. We are told that we will have a place in Europe. I have no doubt we will. As a powerless federalist outpost whose fate is decided upon by faceless bureaucrats who have never set foot here. Our future choices will not be ours to make. The fact that the politicians pushing this treaty have in most cases not even read it is remarkable. They have signed off on it but couldnt find the time to actually comprehend what they were doing. Ah but sure why worry its only our future their compromising not theirs. For this is the crux of the issue. When Cowen says Lisbon is a good deal he believes it, because it is a good deal. For him. For the rest of the country who dont earn 250 grand a year the results will be a little different. Workers rights are already being eroded across the EU but under Lisbon they will be subjected to a sustained assault by the ruling class.

For Lisbon will see the working class of Ireland and the working class of Europe subjected and humiliated by the neo liberal capitalists who want to replicate the American free market economy policies that have caused so much deprivation in the united states. We must vote no in solidarity with our comrades across the continent, we must vote no because they havent been given the opportunity. We have been given an opportunity to strike a blow for the voiceless who have been sidelined in this new inclusive European dream. We have already seen the fishermen of Ireland treated like criminals and subjected to crushing quotas that are imposed so that French and Spanish trawlers can invade our territorial waters in droves to over fish our waters now that they have depleted their own marine resources. This type of activity will continue as we watch our autonomy and nationality eroded to turn us into another outpost of the united states of Europe.

This is why all true Irish people must oppose this treaty. It is an assault on the working class and it is an assault on the Irish people and their historic and unfulfilled right to nationhood. The issue of Irish sovereignty must take precedent before discussing any wider European initiatives. I cannot and will not accept the Irish people being treated as a distracting irrelevance however by the European union and no self respecting Irish citizen should treat the rerun of Lisbon as anything other than an affront to our country.

So I believe that we must vote no to Lisbon 2. I believe we must vote no to discrimination, bureaucracy, arrogance, privilege, exploitation. I believe we must vote no to preserve our most important attribute. Our refusal to submit to foreign oppression. As Ireland has resisted and continues to resist the occupation by Britain let us also resist occupation by faceless lawmakers who decide our the future for Irish generations to follow. Let us resist attempts to subdue us through fear and media manipulation. The Irish people must have unfettered control over their own destiny. Ensure that we do. Vote no.