❍A poster, bullying people into not being bullied
Bearing in mind that the Shinners/Provos were against the Lisbon Treaty, it seems apt to describe the result, as the Irish people shooting themselves in the foot.
During the utterly dishonest campaign waged on the 'No' side, we had devout Catholics lying through their teeth, men and women who backed an illegal army for a generation, railing against militarism, directors of companies which supply the US military, warning about an EU Army, and a raggle-taggle army of commentators, many supported by Rupert Murdoch's media empire, urging us all to vote no.
So why did the Irish people vote against the advice of the three main political parties in the country and against the EU which has handed over something like €68billion in aid over the past thirty years?
They did so because they believed the lies they were told.
Despite absolute assurances, right up to the last minute, voters expressed their fears that the Treaty would result in the legalisation of abortion in Ireland. It won't.
They said they were worried that it would force the Irish people to permit stem-cell research. It won't.
They said they believed it would lead to a loss of our neutrality*. It won't.
(Why are we so proud of our neutrality? Was there something honourable about telling Hitler that, as far as we were concerned, he could invade anywhere he wished and murder as many Jews, Romas and homosexuals as he pleased?)
They said they had been told that Europe would harmonise taxes* and therefore force us to raise our low Corporation Tax which attracts foreign investment. It won't.
(*Isn't it odd, that many of the people who have spent years calling for a harmonisation of taxes so that we would have lower VAT, cheaper cars and a more benign indirect tax system, suddenly raise the 'spectre' of tax harmonisation?)
There were even some who believed that children could be snatched from their homes, that military conscription was just around the corner and, I don't know, that we'd all have to turn Protestant or something equally dastardly.
But there were others who voted 'No' too.
Businessmen - and we know who they are - who have a vested interest in keeping manners on Europe as they see it.
There were ordinary people who are happy that there are 26 other countries for us in which to sell our goods - but which should really keep their own people at home instead of sending them here to take jobs from decent Irish people.
There are those who will tell you that there are too many politicians and civil servants getting too much money our of Europe. But who want 27 Commissioners - and their enormous cabinets and staffs and what not - instead of 15.
It's a long time since I have been embarrassed by my nationality.
I was such when I lived in England in the '70s and the IRA was blowing up my neighbours. I was when the IRA gave two fingers to the Pope. I was when someone decided that the bank robbers, smugglers, thugs and murderers were sufficiently reformed to be considered respectable.
And I am again.
Sure, give our politicians a few bloody noses. (Metaphorically. I'm a pacifist.) I'd be first in the queue for that.
They are indeed, aloof, out of touch, over paid, under-worked and a self-perpetuating elite that needs taking down a peg or two.
But in this instance, we have shot ourselves in the foot. cut off our nose to spite our face.
Made fools of ourselves.
And who will solve the problem?
Declan Ganley and Libertas? Richard Green and his devout thugs in COIR? The Shinners? Vincent Browne? Shane Ross? Eamon Dunphy? Richard Boyd Barrett? Joe Higgins? (Two socialists voting against the Charter of Fundamental Rights) Patricia McKenna? (A 'Green" voting against environmental protection.) Gay Byrne? Ulick McEvaddy and his friends in the US Air Force?
No. They'll crawl back under their stones believing they have completed a job well done.
The job of solving the problem will be left to those who we elected to run the country.
Aloof and out of touch they may be.
But thank God it's them in charge.
And not those who, throughout the campaign and beyond, deliberately misrepresented the Lisbon Treaty, peddled lies, scaremongered and deceived.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Ye Have Disgraced Yourselves Again
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5 comments:
I agree completely. watching the yrlling, hyped up members of youth Defence and their 'Leader' Richard Greene was frightening! It was like sonething you'd see in one of those TV programmes on cults and those followers who would do anything their leader commanded. A bit like Sinn Fein members who clap when Gerry claps, smiles when Gerry smiles etc.
I disagree with you, however, when you say they will now disappear... No, they will smell victory now and regroup to make demands. Like a new treaty with God in it or a new pro-life amendment for the constitution. A new campaign to oppose the Children's Rights referendum, wait and see I guarantee it.
i suspect mckeena was voting against he FF/FG people who allow themselves to used by corporate lobbiest type watering down REACH type legislation to protect us against toxic chemicals.
and whats the point of fundamental rights if they are to be considered second to economic aims.
what's the point of eu which won't do its job and enforce and punish countries not living up to environmental and heritage legislation and promise to put them aside to get this treaty through rather then any sense that those issued would be enforced more after the treaty passes.
Such a load of Sh--E . the reason Lisbon was rejected for a number of reasons.the people in the west voted no as protest to the withdrawl of cancer services, people in the south and the south west voted no against the fishing regulations, farmers voted No just in case promises were forgotten, everybody who voted No had an adgenda their own and not some crap as you suggest it was a big wake up and slap to the government it had nothin to do with europe and lisbon....... all the above is only your opinion and it has no merit you are wrong to hell with Europe.... they have given us 55 billion not your 68 . such tripe
I felt utterly ashamed of my nationality last Friday - as I watched RTE in disbelief the tallies came rolling in...the response from Brussels just really put it all into perspective - the immediate reaction was one of dissapointment followed by simmering anger over the Irish's ungratefulness for all the help that the Union had afforded us since we joined. Unquestionably, Ireland would not have witnessed the unprecedented progress that has materialised in recent decades had it not been for our membership in the EU. All that the treaty seeks to do is put the legislation in place so that the future will see that ability for a more efficiently run Europe to take place. Europe has been continullly expanding over recent years - we now live in a globalised world whereby new and unprecedented issues such as globalisation, immigration, climate change etc - can only be dealt with successfully by a modernised, and, more importantly, unified EU. You talk about rights over economics - well the treaty sought to account for both in it's social and political agenda - it covered children's and women's rights and also those of the most disadvantaged in our societies. Europe has always been fouded on Welfare capitalist models - this is stark contrast to neo-liberal America where unfettered capitalism is free to foam regradless of consequences. although individual countries vary in terms of the weight afforded to socialist or liberalist ideology - Eurpoe has one of the best Human rights record world wide....In my eyes trach record speaks for itself - Europe has only been good to us so far - so use your heads - do you really think that they will turn into Militarised dictators over night?
contrary to your obvious beliefs, the irish people are not gulible or stupid. I voted no and i can tell you that i didnt believe a word of what shinners and all were saying about abortion, conscription or our neutrality, i voted no because the yes campaigners thought that we were idiots and would do exactly what they said without bothering to give us reasons to do so!! and they have so little respect for our opinion that they are going to make us vote again. you can be sure that I will vote no time and again until FF realise that the irish people can think for themselves and can't be told what to do or bullied!
you might say that this is not a valid reason to be voting no and that any decision made should be done solely on the contents of the threaty itself but until europe and the irish polititions stop treating us like children I intend to behave like one!!
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