A chara, - After the recent Nice Summit of EU leaders it is clear that this Government is intent on drawing us closer to the discredited NATO military alliance, into a European superarmy and abandoning Irish neutrality, despite all its spindoctoring.
It is even clearer that the Government does not want to debate, or have the public debate, any of these issues. Indeed, the only discussion in Dail Eireann on the "Nice Treaty" and its implications took place after the event - for just 70 minutes. This is despite the Nice Summit being the most decisive step yet in transforming the European Union into a European super-state, already with the nucleus of a single army since the creation of the Rapid Reaction Force (RRF). To allow just 70 minutes to discuss the magnitude of these proposed changes is disgraceful and exposes the Government's contempt for the Irish people.
This time, however, I don't believe the Government will get away with its scheming as handily as it has in the past. More and more people, including members of Fianna Fail itself, are becoming increasingly aware and alarmed at the ongoing attempts by this Government to abandon Irish neutrality by stealth and lead us towards, and probably into, NATO. The Government will be legally obliged to hold a referendum on the Nice Treaty, and it is my firm belief that unless there is a protocol similar to that included by Denmark at the time of the Amsterdam Treaty, to exclude Ireland from the new Rapid Reaction Force and the militarisation of the EU, the Irish people will reject this latest attempt to abandon Irish neutrality. - Is mise,
Gerry Casey, Rosewood Court, Maugheraboy, Sligo.