Madam, - Where is the middle ground in this debate? As an Irish citizen who will gladly exercise my right to vote in the coming referendum, I do not believe Irish people should be scared into voting either for or against the Lisbon Treaty.
The threat of Ireland being forced to leave the Union if Irish citizens do not vote the "desired" way is reminiscent of the debate on the Nice Treaty. Although we were asked the same question twice, and the second time got it "right", there is no evidence that the Union would have stopped functioning had that treaty not been ratified. On the contrary, it later became obvious that the Nice Treaty was flawed, and therefore required tidying up, which is where the ill-fated Constitution, and later the Lisbon Treaty come in.
Likewise, I have an allergy to the scaremongering of the No campaign, with its unquestionable ability to confuse the ordinary voter, and the deliberate omission of details on matters as they have stood since 1973.
What we need is a balanced debate, with a factual presentation and impartial clarification of the Lisbon Treaty so people can make up their own minds when the time comes. Minister for the Environment John Gormley should appoint a referendum commission to provide this vital information without further delay.
Of course, such a balanced and neutral presentation would not ensure a Yes vote. But it is in everyone's interest that voters should make an informed decision based on facts, rather than choosing a form of ineffective punishment for the Government, or bowing down to aggressive campaigning. - Yours, etc,
SINÉAD MEEHAN, Manorhamilton, Leitrim.
Madam, - Why is Proinsias De Rossa MEP (January 22nd) so afraid to debate the content of the Lisbon Treaty? Maybe he knows that public scrutiny of the issues would undermine support for the treaty. So instead he tries to tar progressive No campaigners with the brush of right-wing extremism.
Mr De Rossa knows the majority of voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the content of the Lisbon Treaty when they rejected the EU Constitution in 2005. Is he suggesting that all of these people are xenophobes? He also knows that a large section of the French Socialist Party was against the EU Constitution and is campaigning against the Lisbon Treaty. These people are members of the same Socialist International to which he belongs. Is he suggesting that they are like Jean Marie Le Pen?
The Lisbon Treaty is bad for democracy (Articles 9, 46 and 48), bad for public services (Article 16), bad for the developing world (Articles 2 and 10) and bad for Irish neutrality (Articles 11, 27 and 28). Mr De Rossa should tell your readers why they should vote for these articles. Or maybe he would prefer to avoid real debate and engage in factually incorrect negative campaigning. - Yours, etc,
EOIN Ó BROIN, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Madam, - It is truly ironic that Raymond Deane should write about an EU "policy of unconditional support for the Israeli rogue state" on the day the EU has pressurised Israel into a major climbdown on its blockade of Gaza. The EU remains the largest aid donor to the Palestinian people.
It also seems strange that Mr Deane now says this is his principal gripe with the Lisbon Treaty (unlike his first letter, when he talked exclusively of the institutions).
One would have thought the problem with EU policy on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is that it is not cohesive and united and that member-states take independent stances. Mr Deane should therefore want more integration of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, not less. Of course such integration is opposed tooth and nail by the No campaigners. - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL McLOUGHLIN, Riverwood Heath, Castleknock, Dublin 15.
Madam, - Lucinda Creighton TD (January 21st) seeks to associate Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party with the far-right politics of Declan Ganley, who effectively bankrolls the conservative lobby group Libertas.
Might I respectfully suggest that Ms Creighton and her colleagues in Fine Gael share far more in common with Mr Ganley than do left-wing opponents of the Lisbon Treaty. For example, Fine Gael favours the privatisation of Dublin Bus, receives massive donations from the corporate sector and has continually articulated neo-liberal solutions to Ireland's socio-economic challenges.
Thus the largest opposition party and the Government are in ideological tandem with groups like Libertas. Fine Gael has always been very much to the right of the Irish political spectrum and, while Ms Creighton may not care to admit it, any ideological differences between her party and Libertas are minuscule. - Yours, etc,
PATRICK NULTY, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.