Looking back at the Lisbon Treaty
One man's attempt to clear up the issues.
We can see too that our economy has not floundered and we are not sitting in a 1980’s-esque depression wondering when the next flight abroad is coming to ferry us to better shores. It is clear that these disaster scenarios have not materialised but what is also clear and shocking is how awful the campaign just fought has been. It was so terrible not because of the result it achieved but because of the gross and outrageous mistruths and confusion spread and allowed to continue during the lack-lustre run-up to the referendum.
I will clear up some of the issues, which those in favour of the ‘No’ side, including the author of one article in the SpunOut.ie Mag, were either misinformed on or simply lied to suit their cause.
Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty did not save EU democracy or anything as fanciful as that. It slowed the necessary and inevitable process of reforming the world’s greatest international project in the history of the world, the EU.
Under Lisbon, Ireland’s right to remain fully neutral, to not participate in any military organisation or operations was expressly protected. In my opinion, never ever would we have been forced to reduce our neutrality or our commitment to peace. The Treaty provided nations with the right to establish joint defence forces or launch operations, they already have this right and it in no way had any influence on our neutrality. Far from saving our neutral status as some mistaken or dishonest individuals on the ‘No’ side said, we actually rejected the guarantee of our sovereign right to stay neutral.
Taxation was another non-issue. Despite what others have claimed, the facts are that the Lisbon Treaty in no way advanced the prospect of tax-harmonisation, which is the idea of Brussels setting tax rates for the whole EU. Very few nations are in favour of this. Certainly not the United Kingdom, which will never accept tax-harmonisation and thus it will never ever happen. Even the French who were the most in favour of tax harmonisation have since all but completely killed the idea. The Lisbon Treaty preserved our hard won right to set our taxes independently and we rejected it.
The privatisation of healthcare and education is just completely ludicrous; first of all, these two areas already have massive privatisation. In fact, Ireland has one of the most privatised health care systems in the EU. In France and Germany, as in most other EU nations, they have a one-tier system treating private and public patients equally, unlike Ireland. Thus, to propose that the EU is in favour of selling hospitals is nonsense. All the Lisbon Treaty did was guarantee peoples’ right to pay for healthcare or education between the member states, part of the freedom of movement of people and services which has given so much peace and prosperity to Ireland and Europe, and once again, we rejected it.
The Lisbon Treaty was not a nice treaty; it was complex, long and very technical. But, it was about increasing democracy and accountability. It strengthened the position of the democratically elected representatives in Europe and reduced the undemocratic and bureaucratic Commission which is appointed. We have no say in the Commission, so tell me which is more democratic? And remember, we rejected them both!
By: John Dunphy
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