Politicians 'running' from defence

Ireland must become one of the architects of European security and defence, according to Fine Gael's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell. He told the Dáil the Republic "is one of the least protected states in Europe", and blamed this on politicians "being cowered into out-bidding each other to eulogise neutrality and denounce common defence arrangements".

They did this without making any provision "to equip ourselves to defend the State, unlike other neutral states".

Speaking during the debate on the Nice Referendum Bill, the Dublin South Central TD said "neutrality has always been a popular message to convey to an electorate not anxious to get involved, and hoping, by keeping our heads down, that defence issues will be the care and responsibility of others".

Irish politicians "have always been reluctant to get involved in international defence issues and left this responsibility up to others". But he asked: "When are we going to stop running away from this issue."

He also accused ministers of Christian churches of "pedalling" an untruth that the Nice Treaty would give rise to the formation of a European army.

He said he formally protested at the "minority of ordained ministers, whose duty was to preach the Gospels and, above all, to give witness to the truth, who have been among those pedalling this untruth". There was no such provision in the treaty.

There was "nothing in the Nice Treaty that is of concern to Ireland's interests", but "this is not a time for indifference or bravado. This is a time for consolidation, for taking stock and for sober judgment."

Mr Mitchell said that given the size of the candidate countries for membership, the impact of enlargement on current members would be small, "of the same dimension as when Greece, Spain and Portugal joined in the 1980s".

Fine Gael's director of elections for Nice, Mr John Bruton, pointed out that nobody could say for sure what would happen if Ireland voted No "beyond the obvious fact that the treaty will then be a complete dead-letter. We will be taking a step into the dark, and 500 million Europeans will be directly affected by our decision."

He believed that "the Irish case in Europe will, thereafter, be less likely to get a favourable hearing". Ireland would then be in a weak negotiating position. That might not happen and other Europeans might come after Ireland with more concessions. "But I do not think anyone can really be sure enough of that to take the risk."

He said that some people objected to the EU and some were inclined to vote No because they claimed the EU was undemocratic. However, EU law-making "is a good deal more democratic than is law-making in most member-states".

EU directives were prepared and implemented through an exhaustive, open and formal process involving all governments. An Irish Act of the Oireachtas, however, was drawn up in secret, and approved by Cabinet meeting in secret, then passed by a "whipped Government majority" and within narrow time limits.

Mr Bruton acknowledged that EU law-making could be improved through procedures such as the direct election by the people of the EU Commission President, by the Council of Ministers sitting in public when legislation is being passed and through the simplification of the wording of directives.

But he added that the EU was a "work in progress" and as full members "Ireland would be both architect and artisan in the further development and adaptation of the EU".