MACGILL SUMMER SCHOOL: Most if not all of those who opposed Ireland's membership of the EEC back in 1972 have opposed every treaty since, and have consistently failed to identify any national advantage which would derive from the Euroscepticism they espouse, the Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, stated yesterday.
His comments came as he performed the official opening of the Patrick MacGill Summer School and Arts Week in Glenties, Co Donegal, where this year's theme is "Ireland and Europe 1972-2002: Where do we go from here?"
Mr Roche, supporting Mr John Hume's assertion that the European Union has been the most successful peace process in history, noted that we have just passed the 50th anniversary of the treaty that established the European Coal and Steel Community.
He said that in a globalised world there can be no question of "ourselves alone", and that EU enlargement is a deeply exciting challenge. He also pointed out that the dangers of EEC membership warned of in 1972 never came to pass.
In the annual John Hume Lecture, the President of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox, spoke about the benefits of trade with the EU member-states and how Ireland has prospered since 1972.
He maintained that a second rejection of the Nice Treaty would plunge the EU's main strategic agenda, that of enlargement, into a period of uncertainty and potential crisis. "This is not in the interests of the European Union nor the accession states and most assuredly not in Ireland's own self-interest," he stated.
"Of all the reasons why I think Irish people should vote Yes, the main one is to do with our own national self-interest. This is not just about our prospects today but also those that will be our legacy to our children. Ireland's power to influence European affairs in our own best interests is now at stake. With all the focus upon us among our European partners and future member-states, our choice is set to sharpen or blunt the cutting edge of our influence. There is too much at stake to be indifferent."
According to the director of the summer school, Dr Joe Mulholland, this year's theme is both timely and hugely relevant. With the help of a broad range of speakers, it will examine some of the issues Ireland faces as it enters a new phase in the EU's history.
Speakers will include former Taoiseach, Dr Garret FitzGerald; the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Mr Tom Parlon; the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív; EU Commissioner Mr David Byrne; the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny; former TDs Mr Alan Dukes and Ms Mary O'Rourke; as well as several Irish MEPs and academics with a special interest in European affairs.
This year's summer school has a new look with an expanded cultural programme, which will include a recital by Bernadette Greevy on Thursday, and also art exhibitions and classes, the first of which was officially opened yesterday by broadcaster Gay Byrne.
The summer school, now in its 22nd year, is dedicated to the memory of Patrick MacGill, the Glenties writer, whose novels, about the horrors of the first World War and the conditions endured by hired children and emigrant Irish workers, are still widely read.