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Ireland : Quite Fu@&ed .

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 5:05

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LEADING CAMPAIGNERS from both sides of the referendum debate clashed sharply several times in the course of the televised Frontline debate on RTÉ last night, with each side accusing the other of peddling “fairytale” solutions.

The hour-long debate descended into chaos on several occasions, with the four speakers being interrupted by their rivals and by members of the audience. At one stage, host Pat Kenny was forced to shout down a farmer advocating a No vote, who claimed that passing the fiscal treaty would end the Common Agriculture Policy for Ireland.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and businesswoman Norah Casey were the speakers advocating a Yes vote, with Sinn Féin’s deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald and businessman Declan Ganley arguing for a No vote.

There were several heated exchanges between the speakers from each side on whether or not Ireland could access the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) in the event of a No vote. Both Mr Gilmore and Ms Casey argued that the ESM would be the only source of funding available to Ireland in the event of the State needing a second bailout, and that was only available if the referendum was passed.

Ms McDonald and Mr Ganley contended separately that the ESM would still be available to Ireland and that there was room to negotiate.

Mr Ganley said that Ireland could veto a change to Article 136 of the separate Treaty for the Functioning of the European Union, which would effectively prevent the ESM from coming into being. Mr Gilmore strongly disputed that this could materialise. I NEVER really expected a European referendum campaign to be particularly informative, but I suppose I am a man who lives in the constant hope that my inner cynic will be proved wrong. Despite all the evidence to the contrary in the Fiscal Treaty Campaign to date, I still hoped that watching the Frontline debate was going to leave me a wiser man.

While traditionally I have always supported European referendums, the last few years have not been particularly inspiring. The EU has been ham-fisted and weak throughout this crisis. Its actions during Ireland’s first bailout negotiations were reprehensible and designed to put the EU well ahead of any concern on what was happening in Ireland. I also cannot shake the fear that there is a growing number of people, particularly within the European Commission ranks, that see this as an opportunity to develop a federal Europe. I have never believed in that. For me, Europe was always a club of individual nations. These nations would come together, negotiate, compromise, but always the political power lay with the nation state.

Europe worked well with this model. Some suggest a single currency is only viable with a federal state, I disagree. It all depends on where power resides. If you hand power over to the commission and the European Parliament then you get a federal state. If ultimate power remains in the hands of the heads of state and council of ministers then the power is not centralised but remains in the hands of democratically elected governments. It is because of this lack of clear direction and strength that I have been very tempted to vote no.

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