Madam, - The eyes of Europe and much of the world will be on Ireland when we vote on the new EU treaty, the Treaty of Lisbon, as it now seems that we will be the only member-state to have a referendum on it.
That is why we urge the Government to call the Referendum Commission into being some months in advance of polling day to give it adequate time and resources to carry out its statutory function of informing citizens what the referendum is about and encouraging the maximum turnout. We do this even though we ourselves have diverse views on the contents of the Treaty.
The establishment of the Referendum Commission under the 1998 Referendum Act was a progressive development in Irish public policy. Although the function of setting out the Yes-side and No-side arguments was removed from the Commission in 2001, its role of telling citizens what the referendum is about and encouraging them to vote is still hugely important.
We are confident the commission will provide truthful, objective and non-partisan information to citizens if it is given enough time and resources to do this by the Government and Oireachtas and is not faced with the task of publicising multiple referendum propositions simultaneously, as has occurred on occasion in the past.
The Referendum Commission consists of the Ombudsman, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Clerk of the Dáil, the Clerk of the Seanad and a chairman nominated by the Government from among the senior members of the judiciary. Its five members will themselves need time to grasp this complex and many-sided treaty before they set about informing the public of its contents and the implications of ratifying it.
We hope that the media and all our political parties, whatever their views on the Treaty, will support this call.
Other aspects of a democratic referendum are fair media coverage for both sides' arguments, the avoidance of abuse and personal attacks on the proponents of either side and non-interference from outside the country by powerful, interested parties with huge financial resources, such as the EU Commission and well-endowed foreign supporters of either a Yes or No vote.
We also believe that the Government should make the text of the Treaty easily available to those citizens who wish to obtain it, as well as the text of the Consolidated European Treaties which it amends. - Yours etc,
FRANK KEOGHAN,
Shanowen Crescent,
Dublin 9.
(Other signatories: Darina Allen, Robert Ballagh, Gay Byrne, James and Therese Gorry, Declan Kiberd, Pat McCabe, Rev Terence McCaughey, Muiris MacCongail, Finian McGrath TD, Patricia McKenna, Tony MacMahon, Christy Moore, Dervla Murphy, Prof John A. Murphy, Senator David Norris, Emmett O'Connell, Jer O'Leary, Bob Quinn, Senator Fergal Quinn, Ruairi Quinn TD, Adi Roche, Dr Andy Storey, Bishop William Walsh.)
Madam, - In your Editorial last Saturday you said the Government was "sleepwalking towards possible defeat in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty". You hit the nail on the head. In the first Nice Treaty referendum, the dismal turnout for the Yes side was well below the usual average for EU treaties while the No vote remained the same as it had done in previous treaties. Do we want the same outcome this time?
It's time the Government and Opposition put aside partisan politics and campaigned for Ireland's positive role in Europe. - Yours, etc,
IAN M. O'MARA,
London SE1.
Madam, - Although a supporter of the Lisbon Treaty, I am an even bigger supporter of the principle that the debate leading to the forthcoming referendum be balanced and objective, and that the media, including The Irish Times, underwrite this principle on behalf of citizens who are anxious to use their vote responsibly.
In his commentary on the Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll Stephen Collins informs us that "by comparison with the first poll on the issue in March, 2005, when the Treaty was billed as the EU Constitution, the number of people committed to voting Yes has dropped by a full 20 per cent, while the number on the No side has remained relatively static" (The Irish Times, January 26th).
However, closer scrutiny suggests that Mr Collins's analysis is incorrect. The question posed in 2005 was a decidedly leading one, stating that: "The EU Constitution is expected to be ratified by referendum before the end of the year [ my emphasis]. Will you vote Yes to ratify the EU Constitution or No against the EU Constitution?".
By contrast, the language used in the question posed in 2007 and 2008 is quite objective and does not blatantly set out to anticipate the outcome of the referendum, as the 2005 question did.
I am surprised that a reputable firm such as TNS mrbi - but, more importantly, a reputable newspaper such as The Irish Times - omitted to bring these critical differences to our attention. - Yours, etc,
CHRISTOPHER O'GRADY,
Collins Court,
Whitehall,
Dublin 9.
A Chara, - Mary Lou McDonald says (January 24th) that "for the record I firmly believe that Ireland's place is in Europe". I presume she is speaking in strict geographical terms because I cannot accept that she believes Ireland's political interests are to be furthered in Europe. Her party has campaigned against each and every EU referendum, claiming a loss of sovereignty and citing the old canard about neutrality.
Sinn Féin's current stance on the Lisbon Reform Treaty is a throwback to the party's Marxist past. Moreover, it probably has more to do with building a profile for European Parliament candidates than with any real conviction about the future shape of the EU. - Is mise,
DECLAN HARMON,
Whitethorn Crescent,
Palmerstown,
Dublin 20.