The second Lisbon Treaty debate is on and it’s obvious that the pro treaty crowd have learned nothing. In fact, it seems that their arrogance and undemocratic attitudes have become even more extreme.
Dick Roche is still calling the anti treaty side a bunch of liars and Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell obviously doesn’t like the idea of democracy when it comes to ratification of the treaty.
Anti treaty campaigner, Ulick McEvaddy, in a debate (Tuesday) with Mitchell, expressed a very reasonable point of view:
“They’ve been misleading us or they have not got their act together. If it takes us another ten years to get a proper treaty in place that people can understand, let us wait that ten years and spend that ten years doing something that’s right instead of putting this treaty back to the people.”
When RTE presenter, Myles Dungan, put it to Mitchell that he was ‘scaremongering’ the Fine Gael MEP began to lose the run of himself.
“I resent that comment and you shouldn’t have used that comment Ulick (He didn’t make the comment, Myles Dungan did) and everything I’ve said has been very measured on this both this morning and at other times and we’ve let this go… (Interrupted by McEvaddy) there you are interrupting me now, you said you didn’t interrupt (He didn’t say that). You should not be using those terms (He didn’t) if we’re to have some reasonable discussion and debate on this.
I’ll tell you what has to happen Ulick; we have to put people like you in your place. You’re a good businessman but you know sweet damn all about politics and what we’ve really got to do and this is the real problem here… We’ve got to restore to Dial Eireann the democratic deficit between the Dail and the people.
All the TDs have left themselves with is responsibility and they’ve given away authority…It’s time for the Dail to take back authority and to say to people like Ulick…the business of politics requires people to be able to find real solutions to problems.”
Phew, what a roasting for poor Ulick. Let’s do a small analysis on Mitchell’s outburst.
He wants people like McEvaddy taken out of the democratic process, banned from participating in political campaigns. Mitchell would probably allow Ulick to express a personal view and maybe even vote but any kind of campaign that challenges the body politic would be forbidden.
Mitchell admits that Dail Eireann has lost its authority but fails to acknowledge that this situation was brought about by the corruption and cowardice of politicians themselves. Fine Gael, in common with all the major parties, constantly waffle on about Dail reform but do not posses the courage or vision to actually implement change.
Later, Mitchell brings up the question of funding political campaigns:
“Ulick, I don’t know anything about running your business…my business is politics…and it’s people like you and your other wealthy pal down in Galway, Ganley, walking on to the pitch with your millions of pounds (sic) and being able to tell us our business…this is a little game for people like yourself and others.”
It takes a special kind of hypocrisy to attack non politicians for operating under a system carefully set up by politicians to make sure that the millions they get from big business remains hidden from public scrutiny.
In addition to attacking those from outside the body politic for having the neck to mount a political campaign Mitchell is obviously not happy that the people themselves should be trusted to have a direct say in such important matters.
“Do you know that the people in Germany voted for the Third Reich, the people outside Caesar’s palace (sic) voted for the crucifixion of Christ, what has a referendum got to do with…if you ask the people tomorrow to vote for the Government…”
Unfortunately, he was cut off at this point before he made a complete eejit of himself.
Ah yes, there’ll be many a scourging and crucifixion before this campaign is done.
Copy to;
Gay Mitchell