Madam, - Anthony Coughlan (November 11th) uses a number of column inches to scaremonger about the EU Constitution. What he blatantly ignores, for whatever reason, is that most of the sovereignty-robbing provisions have been effective for nearly half a century.
Worse, he compares the Republic's future status to that of Quebec, Texas or (gulp) Bavaria while ignoring the fact that the only one of those provinces to try and secede from its own federation, Quebec, was prevented from doing so by majority plebescite. I have not heard of any widespread Texan or Bavarian secession campaigns - though there is, by contrast, a queue of EU accession applicants out the door and right around the corner.
This is, no doubt, another tactic of the evil democracy stealing federal conspiracy: the EU will grow in power by becoming increasingly popular with its people, becoming the envy of its neighbours, encouraging peaceful relationships in Europe and neighbouring continents and then - bang! - dictatorship will arise in the form of a Commission controlled by evil national governments who will, with the co-operation of various parliaments, and with voting rights proportional to the population of each state, take over Europe.
Insidious? I certainly think so. Gaining support for your system of government through exclusively peaceful means? Disgraceful. Everyone knows a successful democracy comes through bloodshed and heroic tales.
This is the kind of democratic deficit of which Anthony Coughlan is running scared. - Yours, etc.,
LAURENCE CLEARY, Solicitor, Palmerstown Avenue, Dublin 20.