AENGUS O SNODAIGH, TD,
A chara, - For the record, and in response to specific comments made in your paper by Mr Proinsias De Rossa, Sinn Féin would like to refute absolutely his assertion (July 13th) that we support of "appealing to xenophobia" in the context of arguing against the Treaty of Nice.
We made our position quite clear on the issue of EU enlargement before, during and after the last campaign. We are not opposed to enlargement and have expressed and supported the view that even now more countries can join the Union whether Ireland ratifies the treaty or not. We believe that these new countries and their people should be joining the EU on a basis of equality and not as second-class citizens, as is the case under Nice.
Immigration was not an issue in the last referendum campaign and Sinn Féin is opposed to its introduction as an issue in this one. As we have made clear repeatedly, we do not oppose enlargement and we do not believe that the accession of new countries will lead to any large influx of immigrants. We believe in a progressive immigration and asylum policy and we believe that people on all sides in the Nice debate must ensure that nothing is said or done which could encourage xenophobes or damage community relations.
There were a number of reasons for people voting No the last time. These included the erosion of sovereignty and neutrality, the democratic deficit in the European Union and the creation of a two-speed Europe. Despite what the Government would have us believe, none of these central issues has been addressed in the meantime. The declaration on neutrality is not worth the paper it is written on. The Treaty is unchanged.
However, central to this referendum campaign must surely be the democratic rights of citizens of this State. We have already rejected this flawed treaty. Under current EU rules it was our democratic right to do so. The Government response was to not only ignore the will of the people but to actively encourage the rest of Europe to ignore it as well. This alone probably best illustrates what awaits us after Nice. Smaller countries in Europe will no longer be treated as equals - we will be mere appendages to the larger nations as they set about building a militarised European superstate.
Sinn Féin was the only political party to run a successful, election-style, door-to-door campaign for the last referendum. Since then we have increased our representation in Leinster House from one TD to five. We have actively participated in every session of the Forum on Europe and have also taken part in a number of public debates on the issue, including the recent MacGill Summer School in Donegal, which your paper covered extensively last week (managing to omit any contribution from Sinn Féin).
I think your readers deserve better. - Is mise,
AENGUS Ó SNODAIGH, TD, Teach Laighean, Baile Átha Cliath 2.
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Sir, - In the event that Ireland ratifies the Nice Treaty, there is a risk that we will relinquish much of our control and influence over decisions made in Europe affecting our economic and social policy. This was a major concern for me in deciding how to vote in the coming referendum.
However, given the Government's reckless treatment of the nation's finances and its inability to address the problems posed by immigration, traffic management and public safety, I feel the less control and influence they have over Ireland's future the better. - Yours, etc.,
GAVIN FARRELL, Dublin 1.