Madam, - Roger Cole of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance claims "commitment to Irish neutrality" was central to Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty (Opinion, July 17th). He cites an Irish Times/TSN mrbi poll before the vote, in which 22 to 25 per cent of respondents said safeguarding neutrality was one reason to vote No.
However, the importance of neutrality in the rejection of Lisbon is debatable. Only 6 per cent of voters said neutrality was the main reason for their No vote in a Eurobarometer poll taken immediately after the referendum.
Also, it is not clear from opinion polls that Irish citizens are opposed to the EU's defence policy. Fully 60 per cent of Irish respondents to the same Eurobarometer poll said they supported a "European common defence and security policy", while 64 per cent said they supported a "European common foreign policy".
In addition, Roger Cole's historical contrast between Napoleon's imperialism and Wolfe Tone's neutrality is interesting, if only because Tone later entered into a military alliance with Napoleon's France to create an Irish republic. Who fears to speak of 1798?
- Is mise,
DANIEL KEOHANE, Research Fellow, European Union Institute for Security Studies, Paris, France.