Category: EU

Referendum Commission launches Yes to Lisbon campaign

Judge Frank Clarke, chairman of the Referendum Commission and deciding judge in the ACC/Liam Carroll property controversy, launched his Yes to Lisbon campaign today (News at One, 2nd report, 1st item).

The Referendum Commission was set up in 1998 and initially had the role of setting out the arguments for and against referendum proposals.

This role of explaining both sides of the argument was withdrawn in 2001 restricting the Commission to simply explaining the subject matter of referendum proposals.

This invariably means the promotion of the Government’s view and criticism of the anti-government side as was clearly evident when the previous Commissioner, Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill, launched his Lisbon I campaign and was again evident as Judge Clarke launched his Lisbon II campaign today.

Public Inquiry will be keeping a close eye on the Referendum Commission for the duration of the campaign for any sign of a neutral or, Zeus forbid, a criticism of the Government side.

EU Petitions Committee rejects Mass cards complaint

I received a letter today from the EU Committee on Petitions in response to my complaint regarding the criminalisation of those who sell Mass cards without the permission of a Catholic bishop.

Included in the new law is the presumption of guilt until proved innocent which runs contrary to Article 48 (1) of the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights which states:

“Everyone who has been charged shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.”

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, The Petitions Committee has rejected my complaint. The letter outlines the reasons in bureaucratic language but, effectively, states that the matter doesn’t come within its remit.

I will continue to keep an eye on the implementation of this law so that I can re-apply to the Bishop of Cloyne for permission to sell Mass cards.

Mass card petition acknowledgement

Received the following today from the European Parliament regarding my Mass card petition.

Dear Sir,

Please note that we received your e-mail dated 29.04.2009 (17:05) and that it will be registered as soon as possible.

An official letter with further information will be sent to your postal address.

Best regards,

Parlement européenP
DG Présidence – Unité Activités des Députés
L-2929 LUXEMBOURG

All is well, no decisions required

It’s touching to witness the childish hope demonstrated by Marc Coleman in today’s Sunday Independent. Writing about the visit last week of EU Commissioner for Enterprise and Competitiveness, Guenther Verheugen and European Central Bank President, Jean Claude Trichet, Coleman gushed:

“Both were listened by an eager, if not scared, audience that was hungry for inspiration. That audience wasn’t disappointed. And neither was I. I discovered that in this time of crisis Ireland does, thank God, still have friends on the European stage.”

Coleman has completely missed the point. These men were in Ireland on a public relations exercise to convince the world that the situation in Ireland is not as critical as it actually is. They were also here to encourage Irish authorities to make decisions, get off their collective butts and deal with the crisis. The last thing the EU wants is for one of its members to go the way of Iceland.

But Coleman and the Government are much more comfortable in the land of denial. Trichet and Verheugen told them that Red tape for small businesses is going to be cut and the European car industry is to receive encouragement.

Well, that’s it, all is well, the crisis is over. No decisions required.

Forced democracy?

According to Minister for Foreign Affairs Michael Martin, not to go back to the people on the Lisbon Treaty would be a denial of democracy.

“There’s an obligation because the people are saying to us as well that they want to be at the heart of Europe so therefore we’re trying to reconcile the genuine view of the majority in Ireland that we should be engaged in Europe. The basic proposition is if we can identify the issues that concern people, if we can get meaningful responses from Europe on those specific issues then not to go back to the people would be a denial of democracy.” (News at One, 2nd report).

The question is – will they keep on forcing this democracy thing on us no matter how often we say no?

Anti democracy campaign gathers strength

The Government is doing a very good job in recruiting allies to its strategy in the run up to Lisbon II.

The Oireachtas sub committee on European Affairs published its report on how to get around the democratic will of the people as expressed in Lisbon I.

Ireland could be “severely damaged” if things remain as they are and the country could suffer serious economic consequences in a two tier Europe the committee reported.

RTE also enthusiastically joined the Government’s campaign by doing a hatchet job on Libertas leader Declan Ganley. Ganley is seen by the Government as the greatest obstacle in its strategy to reverse the democratic will of the people.

The Standards in Public Office Commission, an organisation that’s usually as quiet as a mouse, has come out with all guns blazing in an effort to force Libertas to reveal the source of its funds.

Libertas has been issued with a formal warning and given one week to respond or face the consequences. To my knowledge this is the first time Sipo has actually issued a warning, formal or otherwise – to anybody.

The stark contrast between its strong attack on Libertas and its complete failure to challenge the secret funding of political parties suggests that this so called independent body is nothing more than a government pawn.

The McKenna and Coughlan judgements are also under attack. The McKenna judgement forbids government from using public funds to influence the outcome of a referendum. The Coughlan judgement ruled that both sides of a referendum should be given equality in terms of broadcasting.

Dr. Barrett, UCD School of Law said that the McKenna judgement “crippled the Government’s right to persuade the public of its cause and led to the emergence of groups such as Libertas.” The Coughlan judgement, according to Dr. Barrett “had the effect of neutralizing the role of political leaders.”

Clearly Dr. Barrett is deeply concerned by the problems an open democracy can cause to government wishes.

Fine Gael TD Jim O’Keeffe’s suggestion that the policy of giving equal airtime to both sides in a referendum debate “could result in a group such as a paedophile association being given 50 per cent coverage” is an indication of how obnoxiously low the Yes side are prepared to sink.

First shot in Lisbon II campaign

I see the Government is to considering amending the ethics law to force organisations and individuals to declare where they got the money to pay for their political campaigns.

We can take this as the first shot in the Lisbon II campaign.

Now (says Cowen) how are we going to force these people to reveal the source of their money while keeping our own sources secret?

FEAR – Rules all

The Government doesn’t seem to be aware that the collapse of the global and national economies has a silver lining – Lisbon II is guaranteed a massive Yes vote.

Not only is Ireland a different country since the first referendum but the earth is a different planet and that planet is ruled by one emotion – FEAR.

All the Government has to say is – If you vote No again the EU will cut us adrift in a world of financial chaos. That means we will be fully dependant on our own politicians to run our affairs – People will be tripping over themselves to vote Yes.

That doesn’t mean that the Government will be taking any chances and it will be interesting to see what further abuses of the democratic system they have in mind.

Declan Ganley of Libertas, who gave a fine interview on One to One on RTE the other night, will be a prime target.

He was also answering questions in front of the Oireachtas Committee on Ireland’s future in the EU where he was yet again attacked by the losers.

“The Treaty is dead, you lost, get over it, he told them.”

Warped understanding of democracy

Without question, Ireland is the most centrally controlled, secretive and corrupt country in the EU.

It is therefore hilarious to witness politicians, various commentators and a disturbing number of journalists attack those who ran campaigns opposing the Lisbon Treaty referendum on the basis that, somehow, they were acting undemocratically.

The reality is that it is the politicians and much of the media who pose a threat to democracy by their absolute refusal to accept the democratic will of the people.

Declan Ganley, in particular, has been singled out and portrayed as the Devil Incarnate himself if we are to believe what these so called defenders of democracy think.

At the weekend we saw these defenders of democracy ban Irish media from attending a press briefing given by the Czech president Vaclav Klaus and Declan Ganley.

There is no difference whatsoever between this act of media suppression and similar bans imposed by the former Soviet Union. Not a murmur of protest was heard from the National Union of Journalists.

Here’s how RTE reporter, Sean Whelan, presumably himself a member of the NUJ, reported this piece of state media censorship (Link not available).

“President Klaus gave a briefing to Czech journalists but Irish officials wouldn’t let the Irish media in. It’s unusual not to have media access to a visiting head of state but then it’s unusual for a visiting head of state to be opposed to the Lisbon Treaty.”

Whelan’s view (or perhaps the view of somebody higher up in RTEs news department) seems to be that only visiting heads of state that are in full agreement with government policies will be allowed full media exposure.

Dissenters will be strictly monitored and their views censured by government agents, just like they are in China and other communist countries.

Minister of State, Conor Lenihan is also very worried about the threat to democracy by people who take it into their heads to act democratically. Here’s what he had to say on Today FM yesterday.

“There is an issue around Lisbon that does affect our democracy in one very serious way.

What’s happening is that people who were part of the loose alliance of groups that opposed Lisbon are now being accorded the same status as for instance Lucinda (Creighton FG) and Alex (White Lab) here who are actually quite different, they’re elected representatives.

But one of the issues now is that even in media picking and choosing of panels they’re now being given equal status which I think is somewhat suspect.”

“But there’s a really profound issue here because the people and parties that supported Lisbon represent the democratic will of the people of Ireland yet now we have people who have never being elected, who don’t put themselves before the electorate, yet come out at the time of referendums and campaign.”

Ok, Conor Lenihan is not the brightest but even he should realise that it is the main political parties in the country with massive support from mainstream media that are challenging the democratic will of the people, not those who successfully campaigned for a No vote.

The show’s presenter, Sam Smyth, who I presume is also a member of the NUJ, made no challenge whatsoever to Lenihan’s claim that only elected politicians should be allowed to campaign on political matters.

Clearly, Smyth is a Yes man.

Copy to:

RTE News
NUJ
Dept. of Foreign Affairs
Sam Smyth
Conor Lenihan