Why won’t the government allow a real democratic vote?

You may remember back in February, a German Minister Michael Link declared that this treaty was being designed so that the Irish people would not get a vote on it.

It was only under the threat of a legal challenge that the government sought advice from the attorney general, who then advised that a referendum should be put to the people.

When it was realized that a referendum would be needed in Ireland, we had the introduction of the “blackmail clause” (March 2012). This says that unless you ratify the treaty you will not have access to any funding from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). A clause that is genuinely frightening to those who are working hard to stay above the breadline and pay their mortgages, particularly low paid public servants. They’re rightly concerned about where the funding will come from if we vote no.

Let’s not forget that until a referendum was declared, the government insisted that no future bailout would be needed. Suddenly we may need one and in order to get it, we must sign up to this treaty.

Lets talk briefly about the merits of the treaty though. Many prominent economists are recommending a no vote. If the blackmail clause were not included, an even larger proportion of economists would not recommend the treaty. They have stated that this is a bad economic treaty, however, ‘on the balance of it’, they are recommending a yes vote because, apparently, it is the only way we know where future funding will come from.

Earlier this month, our Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan threatened the people saying that if there is a no vote, his budget in December would be a lot harsher on the Irish people.

We also have the undemocratic decision to hold the vote on a Thursday, again, when it is well known that this disenfranchises students, young people and those commuting to work – possibly from the UK.

*from the Irish Times

 

It is these exact people who have been affected most by the austerity measures put in place to date. They are also the people who will be affected most by the treaty in the future.

It is clear there is a link between this treaty and the policies of the past: The establishment are determined to do whatever they can to achieve their agenda - so to hell with democracy.

If they trusted the Irish people, if they believed in real democracy, if they really thought this was a good treaty for Ireland’s people, they would withdraw all the threats, hold the referendum on a day that suits the majority of the public and remove the blackmail clause.

They would explain how the contents were good for the people of Ireland and the EU, not just now, but into the future and refrain from frightening people into voting yes with the ‘gun to the head’ clause of the ESM.

Remember, we all have a responsibility to future Irish generations. Even if this is a good treaty for the next year or two but will be bad in the long run - we must vote no. Iceland put its children first and defaulted on the debt of the bankers so that their children won’t be paying debts in 20 years time. They have not passed on their bad legacy, but we have. Lets not do it again.

It’s not easy to get the toothpaste back in the tube! They should let this ‘economic treaty’ stand on its own merits.