Madam, - In light of his recent high-profile No-to-Lisbon campaign, Declan Ganley of Libertas is seen by some of the media as having a potential future in politics. In my opinion he possesses probably the most critical characteristic for success in this field - the ability to be blandly, sincerely economical with the truth. As he was with the Giscard quotation ( The Irish Times, June 26th).
What continues to amaze me is the fact that no experienced politician on the Yes side took the trouble to check the accuracy of the quotation - just one more indication of what a wretched campaign the Yes side ran.
- Yours, etc,
VINCENT MacCARTHY, Cloncat, Athboy, Co Meath.
A Chara, - I utterly reject Niall Neligan's claim (June 26th) that the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (Pana) raised the issue of "conscription into a European army" during the Lisbon Treaty debate.
Pana's literature on the Lisbon Treaty contains not a single reference to conscription, nor has Pana ever made such a reference during the entire debate. The only references to conscription that I witnessed were made orally by Fine Gael TDs and the Fine Gael MEP for Dublin. No Pana literature could be produced to substantiate those FG claims at the time nor since.
Pana's Lisbon literature contains many references to the "militarisation of the EU", which can be substantiated by even a cursory reading of the treaty text. I trust, therefore, that Mr Neligan will now withdraw his false accusation.
- Is mise,
FEARGUS MAC AOGÁIN, (Pana National Executive), Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Madam, - I read with great interest the report in your edition of June 25th to the effect that two of the three countries which rejected the proposed European Constitution (Marks I and II) - Ireland and the Netherlands - remain the most enthusiastic of the EU's 27 current members about the Union in its present form, as a democratic association of like-minded sovereign states.
While our own euro elite, led Ireland's equivalent of the Grand Old Duke of York, will doubtless ignore these implications, they remain extremely relevant - as does the fact that Latvia, which endured half-a-century of Soviet tyranny, is the least enthusiastic member of Mr Barroso's proto-empire.
- Yours, etc,
ADRIAN J ENGLISH, Kilcolman Court, Glenageary, Co Dublin.
Madam, - I confess that I am still a little confused by the Lisbon Treaty, but when I look at those organisations who are opposed to the measure (I checked all their websites) I cannot help thinking these people are the sticky residue of the 1970s and 1980s who want some sort of Ireland that takes everything from Europe but is not prepared to give anything back.
In the last century Europe was ravaged by two terrible wars, plus a cold war with states that are now part of the Union. We can argue about issues such as taxation, neutrality etc. But we must remember where the European project came from.
- Yours, etc,
PHILIP BRESLIN, Dublin 6W.