WILLIAM FOGARTY,
Sir, - Roger Cole of PANA (September 26th) the Irish people rejected the Nice Treaty for a variety of reasons, and that rejection should be accepted. I would take issue with this.
Many of us recall the famous slogan used by the No side, "If you don't know, Vote No". This was advice that many people took. Their vote was a rejection, not of the treaty, but of the referendum process which had left them unable to make an informed decision. The No campaigners capitalised on this lack of knowledge and carried the day.
Instead of rejecting the treaty because of its content, as Mr Cole contends, many voters refused to ratify it because they simply did not know what was in it.
The only rational choice that a government can make is to put the treaty to the people again, but this time informing them properly. The alternative is for us to try to renegotiate a treaty because we aren't sure what it says. This is a laughable platform for negotiation.
Government is not a conspiracy against the public, as Mr Cole believes. The second referendum, for those of us who didn't know enough the last time, is a welcome opportunity to study the treaty and make an informed decision. I, like many, have taken that chance and my vote will be based on information, not ignorance. - Yours, etc.,
WILLIAM FOGARTY, Shrewsbury Park, Dublin 4.
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Sir, - I'm a fourth year TCD student and I'm effectively disenfranchised from expressing my opinion in the forthcoming Nice referendum. As my home is in west Kerry, my voting card is sent there. Unfortunately, my home is at least 10 hours away by CIE transport - so every time I visit I lose two days. I simply can't afford this time at the beginning of term in my final year. Therefore I may not be voting.
Many students are in the same position: because they have study or work commitments to meet, they can't spare the time (or money) to travel home. Why can't every student be automatically registered for voting within the college they attend (they could be given dual registration allowing them to vote from home when elections arise outside term time)? Or why can't we simply use postal votes, as in the recent German elections? The last referendum saw such a low turnout that it was hardly even democratic.
I will do everything in my power to go home for October 19th, but I resent the obsolete electoral methods that hamper one of the most outspoken groups in our society.
Voting should become easier. Who can we really blame for apathy: the electorate or the Government that supposedly enfranchises us? - Yours, etc.,
MUIREANN MAGUIRE, Trinity College, Dublin 2.
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Sir, - Your report of September 24th may give the impression that ICP's opposition to the Nice Treaty relates solely to Brian Cowen's rash commitment to full labour mobility for the accession countries ahead of other member-states. That is decidedly not the case.
The first reason given in our press release for our opposition is that Nice pushes the EU very much forward to a common asylum and immigration policy. We are opposed to such a policy, particularly as the EU has repeatedly stated that any such policy will be based on the full application of the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees 1951. That is fundamentally at odds with our stance. Neither do we accept the concept of an imposed "burden-sharing".
There is undoubtedly benefit to be got from co-operation in asylum matters - Euradac, liaison officers at international airports, etc., - all of which we support and which already exist, but that is a far cry from giving up your sovereignty in matters of asylum and immigration.
Our worries in this area have been compounded by the refusal of Dick Roche to answer clear and specific queries put to him regarding the Nice Treaty and its asylum implications. What is he trying to hide from the public? - Yours, etc.,
ÁINE NÍ CHONAILL, PRO, Immigration Control Platform, Dublin 2.
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Sir, - Miriam Donohoe reports that copies of the Irish Constitution have been unavailable from the Government Publications Office since early April (The Irish Times, September 24th). Could this be because Bertie Ahern does not want the voters to read the following wording from Article 29 of our Constitution?
"No provision of this Constitution. . .prevents laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by the European Union or by the Communities or by institutions thereof, or by bodies competent under the Treaties establishing the Communities, from having the force of law in the State."
Most voters are unaware that our Constitution contains that overriding clause. It should give people pause before rushing out to vote Yes to this controversial treaty. - Yours etc.,
DICK HUMPHREYS, Sycamore Road, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.