The People of Europe deserve Refernda

turgon

Throughout the debate on the Lisbon Treaty, and especially after the actual result, much talk was given to Ireland being the only country having a referendum. Now this issue has nothing to do with the actual treaty, and would never have been, for me, a reason to vote 'No'. Furthermore, it is fact that Ireland could not exactly have done anything to ensure that the method of ratification by referendum was used in other states. However, as many already know, I think this method is more democratic, and considering the Lisbon Treaty is a document that reforms the structures of the EU government, a more appropriate method of ratification.

One objection to this has been voiced by many: that the representatives know best, and that they are more-informed. Of course they are better informed than the average, and I concede that referendums are very easy to manipulate (as seen so blatantly by Còir). However to deny us all a say because some indulge in ignorance is wrong: I do not believe I should be punished for the wrongs of others.

There is another reason I do not think the elected representatives should have full control of ratification. When electing, we have to take many issues into consideration. One cannot vote for a TD simply because his/her policies on the EU are to ones liking. Instead you have to strike a balance. Because of this we often elect representatives who in some areas do not agree with us at all. And because the EU is generally a foreign policy area, as opposed to the domestic issues on which we generally decide who to elect, this gap between representative and elector is even greater.

Now a natural follow on (and valid) argument is that if we are allowed to vote on the Treaty of Lisbon, why should we not vote on everything else: tax bills and other laws etc. Well the fundamental reason I believe we should be entitled to vote on European treaties is that each of them reduce our sovereignty. They move power away from the Dàil and towards Brussels (and this is mostly a good thing). This movement of power is mainly because the EU is given further areas of competence ie. it is allowed legislate for more areas. Additionally it is allowed legislate in co-ordination/concurrently with the member states (joint competence). So in effect we are giving power away from the national parliaments (composed fully of elected representatives) to the EU (where the decision makers are not 100% democratically representative). Any changeover in power of form of government requires the consent of the people, in my opinion.

It is for these reasons I believe we are entitled to a referendum.

It is also for these reasons I believe that our vote should be respected. All other states have opted for parliamentary ratification processes, and because of this I believe they cannot claim to have full support of the people. For example: some ministers claiming Ireland should not be allowed to halt the other 500 million who want it, when they haven't even been asked. Why should 'Yes' be the default position? In the UK for example it is very probable that a referendum would also yield a 'No' vote. Thus it would be a bit much for Gordon Brown to claim Lisbon has the support of the people, when in fact it only has the support of the parliament. And from above, I believe there does exist a gap between people and parliament, highlighted by the fact that 97.5% of our representatives were in favour of the proposal.

Any takers?????

VoidStarNull

In practical terms, Ireland's tradition is have referenda on these issues and for that reason any attempt to avoid a referendum would be viewed with great suspicion.

Whether or not referenda are superior to other methods is an imponderable question, as far as I'm concerned. Some countries obviously believe referenda should never be used. In other places, they are used in an attempt to gain democratic (or populist) legitimacy when this is believed to be necessary or useful.

If all nations in the EU had to have referenda, I wonder if the treaties would be designed differently? I.e. much simpler, and only containing the clauses relating to pooling of sovereignty (presumably everything else could be decided by parliament). I think it's quite likely.

BTW the way to stop having repeat referenda is to vote in a government that is not pro-Europe. Seems obvious that a pro-Europe government will keep on trying to get us back in.