Jesuitical. Sort of. Eamon Gilmore and Lisbon. September 11, 2008
Posted by WorldbyStorm in European Union, Irish Politics.trackback
Can’t help but be slightly – very slightly – amused by Eamon Gilmore’s latest pronouncements in the Irish Times. Fresh from the Labour Party confab in Clonmel he is reported as follows:
Mr Gilmore accepted that any constitutional change that will arise from an EU treaty will require a referendum but said that Ireland needed to stop being fixated by the Lisbon Treaty.
Instead, he said, the Irish public should start to hold a wider discussion about the country’s relationship with Europe, and the future of the EU itself.
Okay.
Speaking at the conclusion of his party’s two-day special meeting in Clonmel today, Mr Gilmore agreed that there would need to be some form of consultation with the people about Lisbon.
Which is grand. And then we read this:
“Of course. Any change in an EU treaty requires a referendum here.”
Which is true, but not entirely apposite. And he continues…
There is obviously going to be another referendum at some point on a European issue. The question is what question is going to be put to people in that referendum?
Well, he’s right. Of course. There will be another referendum at some point on a European issue.
But the last sentence of his is problematic, isn’t it? Because it doesn’t necessarily link to that potential referendum or any number of referendums on European issues, rather it relates to – or at least it should – this referendum about this specific issue.
Or perhaps I’m misreading him and what he’s trying to do is indicate it would be another referendum completely. But he doesn’t make that clear in what he says.
So it’s more likely that we see him, and Labour, step somewhat back from their sudden – and unexpectedly – euro-critical stance directly after the referendum. I wonder what prompts him to do this, particularly in view of Fine Gaels continued lack of support for the Government.
Interesting though a very subtle emphasis in the language to incorporate much of the broader critique of Lisbon when he says:
“The Labour Party has a strong view that Ireland’s place is in Europe, and we have a very strong view (that) we want a social and democratic Europe,” he added.
I think this is an interesting development for two reasons. Firstly, Gilmore was effectively endorsing the Gerry Adams line until now: that the Treaty was dead. The Treaty never died, except for in Ireland. Its progress has continued in the rest of the EU. Now some may dispute my take, but this isn’t an opinion based on spin. This is the reality. Irish politicians and the government are in a bind and the line Gilmore had been taking until today was unsustainable. There was never going to be renegotiation.This u-turn was always inevitable.
Secondly, yesterdays research proved the conundrum and gave Gilmore (and the government) a new approach. Ireland voted no but it wishes to remain in Europe and sees the EU as broadly positive. Most interestingly, Sinn Fein supporters, though most likely to vote No, turned out the least of all parties. SF’s strategy was brilliant in its profile raising for Mary Lou et al, but utterly careless in terms of putting the national interest first.
What needs to be done now is for Labour (and gov’t) to make the case that the consequences of the No vote will contradict the desire to stay in the EU. So far there have been none, but kite-flying like Micheal Martin saying ‘Ireland might have to pull out of Chad and peacekeeping’ may educate people on the consequences. A cynic or a No voter might say this is manipulation but from my perspective, this is exactly what the No side did in June.
I’d agree that Labour’s position was unsustainable in the long term. Interesting about SF voters. But politically it’s still a jam. Not sure how it will resolve itself, particularly with the fairly detached position of FG.
“The Labour Party has a strong view that Ireland’s place is in Europe, and we have a very strong view (that) we want a social and democratic Europe”
Surely this means he is endorsing the “Better Deal for Ireland and the EU” document of SF?
I’d guess they’d say it was a matter of tactics…
Ireland leads the way?
“So the suggestion that every member state should keep its commissioner, already being cautiously mooted as a way of persuading the Irish to think again, is good news all round. The wording of the Lisbon treaty would even allow for this to be enacted by a simple decision of EU leaders at a future summit, without reopening other aspects of the deal” -Financial Times.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1be852a2-7ffd-11dd-8eeb-000077b07658.html
No doubt that’s going to be part of the spin…
kite-flying like Micheal Martin saying ‘Ireland might have to pull out of Chad and peacekeeping’ may educate people on the consequences
That’s a threat that will surely rock Irish public opinion to the core.
Probably not, but there is a very strong element of peace-keeping as part of Irish identity, so it’s not without some limited traction.