Lisbon 'No' voters had death wish, says Roche
EUROPEAN Affairs Minister Dick Roche yesterday said Irish voters had a "death wish" when it comes to major decisions like the Lisbon Treaty.
And he warned that a two-tier Europe would emerge -- without Ireland in the first tier -- if we again reject the Treaty.
At a meeting of the European Affairs Oireachtas committee yesterday, Mr Roche claimed it was time people realised that rejection of the Lisbon Treaty "comes at a price" when you witness current unemployment levels and difficulties in attracting foreign direct investment.
A second rejection would not auger well for future job creation, he claimed.
"If we were to say 'No' a second time for whatever reason, my belief is that it would be absolutely devastating for Ireland," Mr Roche said.
The re-run of the Lisbon Treaty will be as important as the question first put to Irish voters in 1972 on joining the EU, he added.
He also questioned if "we have a kind of death wish in this country" in voting 'No' to the Treaty on June 12 last year.
Despite the high levels of skill and capacity for economic growth, Ireland has tended to "handicap ourselves" on some decisions, he added.
Asked by independent senator Fergal Quinn if he could envisage a referendum before the European and local elections in June, the minister said the referendum should not be held on the same day.
He insisted the Government would have to make sure voters were adequately informed, without using the fear tactics of the 'No' side. "We have to take as much time as it takes to get it right," he said. "We've only one chance to get it right."
Guarantees
Amid efforts to agree guarantees on taxation, defence, ethical and social issues by June, Mr Roche insisted the assurances would be capable of sustaining legal challenges.
Those claiming the guarantees would not be "worth the paper they are written on" were the same people who told untruths during last June's Lisbon Treaty campaign, he said.
The minister conceded that the Government had made a "fundamental error" in not providing voters with sufficient information. But he said he welcomed an opinion poll showing that 51pc of those surveyed would vote 'Yes' if Ireland could keep its European Commission and receive guarantees in other areas.
Libertas said they were ready for a rematch. "The rejected Lisbon Treaty would only consolidate the failed policies that got Ireland and Europe into this economic mess," a spokesman said.
- ine Kerr Political Correspondent
