The choice the people will make in the forthcomimg Nice Treaty referendum will be a turning point for Ireland comparable to the Good Friday agreement, writes the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern
We are at a crossroads in our national life. This is not a cliché. This is a reality.
How we vote in the next referendum on Nice has enormous consequences for our people. It is vital that they should understand this. Our decision will offer new opportunities or set new limits for Ireland. The choice we make, more than any other single action we take as a people in the next few years, will decide our standing in the world and decide whether Ireland succeeds and moves ahead in the right direction.
Ireland should show the way, not block the way at this historic crossroads.
Let us choose progress by voting Yes - voting Yes for jobs, for growth and for Ireland's future.
On only one previous occasion since I became Taoiseach have we stood at such a crossroads where we needed to make the right choice for our country and our children. That was the Good Friday agreement. We made the right choice in ratifying that agreement. How our people decide on the Nice Treaty will also be a decisive turning point for Ireland.
The Treaty of Nice is the European Union's agreed means to enable enlargement. Nothing more. Nothing less. The Nice Treaty was a fair deal and protects Ireland's interests.
From now on I, and every member of the Government, will be putting the case in favour of ratification. We will explain the fundamental importance of ratification for the European Union of the future, and for Ireland's place in it. And we will ask people to inform themselves fully about the issues and their implications.
Nice is relevant to each and every citizen. They should not allow themselves to be confused by arguments that are irrelevant or that the Irish people have already decided upon in previous referendums. And when the time comes it is vital that greater numbers come out and vote.
We would not be asking the people to vote on this issue for a second time if it was not a matter of vital national interest. In asking the Irish people to vote a second time I do so humbly and with the greatest of respect. But not only do we have a democratic mandate to hold a second referendum, we also have a responsibility to ensure that we protect our interests and ensure that Ireland does not take the wrong turn on Europe.
The Government cannot take chances with our economy or endanger jobs in Ireland. And we need to help Europe move forward. We need to enable enlargement and not be seen to be putting barriers to this historic development.
Thirty years ago, some of the same voices advocating a No to Nice now were predicting doom and gloom for Ireland if we joined the Union.
THEY predicted backwardness and population decline. They predicted retarded industrialisation. They predicted an influx of foreign workers. They predicted that the countryside would be denuded of the bulk of its population and the fabric of rural life destroyed. They predicted that joining the Union would be a great tragedy for us and our children. Thirty years ago they were wrong. They continue to be wrong.
But the question today is not only what happened in the past. The question we confront at this new crossroads is what will follow in the future if we take the wrong road. If we vote No we choose a dead end. We will have squandered goodwill and influence - for absolutely no good positive reason, economic, social, political or cultural. That would be a devastating reversal for Ireland and we would plunge the Union, our Union, into a period of confusion and chaos.
How could it possibly be in our interest to do this? Ireland needs a Yes vote to stay at the heart of Europe, to develop our economy and to increase foreign direct investment. I am fearful that a wrong signal on Europe will cost us new business, new jobs and new growth.
Scaremongering? Absolutely not. Just read the current edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit. Their assessment is clear. They say that a No vote by Ireland will be interpreted abroad as a move away from Europe - "Investors will sniff uncertainty. More uncertainty means less investment, and less investment means fewer jobs tomorrow."
I want to state plainly and unequivocally that I understand the concerns that people had when they voted last year against the Nice Treaty. I know that many of our people did not vote; many said they refrained from voting because they were not sure which side was right. Confusion reigned, and I think the responsibility for much of that lies with all of us charged with leadership, both politicians and social partners, who have a duty to make the issues as clear as possible so the people of Ireland can make the most informed choice.
But the responsibility also lies with others who practise the politics of confusion as a political tactic.
We have listened to the Irish people. We have addressed issues of concern such as neutrality and effective parliamentary oversight of the EU. The National Forum on Europe has been doing a good job in stimulating and facilitating debate. We have acted to change the context in which the next referendum will be held. And the Referendum Commission has been set up in good time and with sufficient funds to allow it to do its job.
Some of the sceptics suggest that we will lose power and influence if we ratify Nice. They are wrong again. How can people argue that when we are represented on the European Commission in the same way as Germany, as France, as Britain, somehow we are losing power and influence? It defies logic. It confounds common sense. We cannot afford to be deceived by this kind of misdirection.
A consistent Yes to Europe has served Ireland well.
We could have taken the wrong turn when the Irish people were asked to vote on accession in 1973. We did not do so. The Irish people chose to be part of Europe and embarked on a new and dramatically successful phase in our history.
We could have taken the wrong turn when the Irish people were asked to vote on the Single European Act. We did not do so. We were not afraid of the Single Market. We seized the opportunity, and our economy took off.
We could have taken the wrong turn when the Irish people were asked to vote on the Maastricht Treaty. We did not do so. As a result we ushered in EMU, generated jobs and strengthened our economy.
We could have taken the wrong turn when the Irish people were asked to vote on the Treaty of Amsterdam. We did not do so. And as a result we helped lay the foundations for a more dynamic Union.
And I believe that when asked to vote again on the Treaty of Nice the Irish people will this time say Yes and ensure that we maintain a steady course in Europe.
Over the next two months we must focus on the real consequences of our choice for jobs, for growth and for Ireland's future. Our people must look at the facts and make a judgment about where Ireland's interests lie. We need plain speaking and honest debate. And most of all we must ensure that the Irish people appreciate the importance of what is at stake and why their vote is essential.
I want Ireland to be a proud and constructive voice in Europe. I want Ireland to help build Europe's future. I want Ireland to shake off the negative air on Europe that has become so pervasive and loud. In short, I want Ireland to stay firmly rooted on the European stage.
Whether we are looking to protect our own interests or looking to the tens of millions of other Europeans who will be affected by what we do, the answer is the same. I will be doing everything in my power to persuade the Irish people that that answer is Yes.