PHILIP DONNELLY,
Sir, - The arguments of those demanding ratification of the Nice Treaty are becoming ever more desperate, and less sensible, if your Letters page is any guide.
Gerard Lee (September 26th) is insulted by Charlie McCreevy's "contemptuous dismissal" of EU warnings about the need for fiscal rectitude, and looks forward to enlargement relieving our wayward politicians of all this tiresome responsibility.
Mr Lee's wrath will be terrible indeed when he learns about the shenanigans of some other finance ministers, namely those of France, Germany, Italy and Portugal. In recent months all four have abandoned the growth and stability pact deemed vital for the success of the euro, faced as they were with the impossible task of staying within it while their economies faltered and dole queues lengthened.
Tearing up the rule book, they increased spending, raised borrowing and generally made up policy as they went along, while we grinned and wore the hair-shirt. Who will rap their knuckles?
There is a palpable belief among some of the pro-Nice party that the Irish and their governments are inept, backwater bunglers incapable of running an ice-cream van, never mind a national economy. Will signing away our sovereignty to Brussels halt all this fecklessness? Alas, names like Craxi, Andretti, Mitterrand and Köhl suggest not.
Corruption pervades the Commission itself, as shown by the sacking in August of various whistle-blowing functionaries who refused to remain silent about the misallocation and abuse of EU taxpayers' money.
Supporters of Nice have tried blackmailing the right answer from the Irish electorate - selfishness, racism, ingratitude, stupidity; we are even told Romanian orphans will remain chained to their cots if we get it wrong again. This despite the fact that Romano Prodi assures us a No vote will not slow down enlargement one iota.
Another issue on which senior EU officials have been unusually frank is the eventual creation of a federal Europe, complete with government, judiciary, economy and army. Ireland's contribution to Europe in GDP terms is equivalent to one half of Leitrim's to the rest of the State. Who will listen to us 10 years from now?
For centuries we belonged to an empire similarly geared for the enrichment of others, losing blood and identity with little to show for it. I can hardly believe our own political leaders are now insisting we sell ourselves for a few miles of dual carriageway and a pat on the head.
I hope to return home in October to vote against this treaty and I urge all those among your readers who love their country and their freedom to do the same. - Yours, etc.,
PHILIP DONNELLY, St Albans, Hertforshire, England.
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Sir, - Like Brendan O'Reilly (September 23rd), I voted No in the last referendum on Nice partly because I resented the hectoring, lecturing and threatening tone used by the Government and Yes lobby.
As a language teacher and linguist, I get very angry at the way language has been corrupted by this Government. Insulting No voters by labelling them "whingers" and "dingbats" only degrades Mr Ahern himself and the office of the Taoiseach.
People who stoop to trading such insults are not engaging in rational, intelligent debate. After the "dingbat" insult, Mr Ahern went on radio to praise the Irish electorate as being "intelligent". Could be please explain the self-contradiction? Or is he trying to ingratiate himself with us after realising the "boob"? Or maybe he thinks we're all "eejits"? - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL KENNEFICK, Westbourne Place, College Road, Cork.
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Sir, - I am staggered by the irresponsibility of Young Fine Gael with their poster promoting the Nice Treaty. Cheap laughs further trivialise and promote recreational sex. The target audience, college students, are under enough pressure already from commercial advertising to eat, drink and be merry rather than think about the consequences of their actions, such as sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies - quite apart from having the beautiful gift of sexuality reduced to a quick thrill with whoever is available. - Yours, etc.,
Mrs K.M. DAVEY, Dublin Road, Shankill, Co Dublin.
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Sir, - Have Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington, through their golfing exploits for Europe, done more for a Yes vote than all the meaningless gibbering of the politicians? - Yours etc.,
JOSEPH BYRNE, Ulverton Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin.