MINISTER OF State for European Affairs Dick Roche has said he would be opposed to holding the second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on the same day as the local and European elections.
Speaking at the Joint Committee on European Affairs, Mr Roche said it was tempting to hold the referendum after hearing recent positive poll results, but the Government had to learn from past mistakes.
He also said the No vote to the treaty last June made him wonder if “we have a kind of death wish in this country”.
His comments came ahead of a meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels next week.
Mr Roche said it had to be understood that the decision taken by the people on June 12th last, when the referendum was rejected, came at a cost.
International investors were being told Ireland’s position in the EU was “ambiguous”. It was essential the treaty was passed the second time, he said.
“If we don’t get ourselves through this, we won’t have another set of negotiations,” he warned.
“We will have a two-tier Europe and Ireland will be in the second tier.”
However, he said, it was important that fear was not used to persuade people on this occasion.
Legal guarantees offered by the EU around neutrality, defence and taxation were robust and capable of sustaining challenge, he said.
Asked by Senator Feargal Quinn (Independent) if the Government would consider holding the Lisbon referendum before the European and local elections, he said the most important thing was to get the timing right.
“If we were to say No a second time . . . my personal belief is it would be absolutely devastating,” he said.
“This is going to be as important as the question we put to people in 1972.”
He said he was “absolutely, certainly against” having the referendum on the same day as the June elections.
The people had complained they did not know enough about the treaty the last time, despite the campaign beginning in December.
“You can’t risk that happening again . . . we must make sure certain people are informed,” he said.
He said he had spoken to many people in Europe and the conversations he had made him wonder if we had a “kind of death wish in this country”.
“We should not lose sight of the fact we have significant advantages, even though we sometimes handicap ourselves,” he said.
