To Arthur and Lisbon (or not)

Last Thursday two things of note occurred: it was Guinness' 250th anniversary, which in an Irish university town is a holiday, and I went to a debate on campus on the Lisbon Treaty.

I left the debate before the vote in order to celebrate the holiday (potentially a poor choice with a 9AM class the next morning but such is life when you're only studying abroad in Ireland once) but listened to all the speakers. As a student of political science and a temporary resident of Ireland I thought it would be a good idea to listen to the debate and get a better idea of the issues surrounding the upcoming vote on the Lisbon Treaty. You can't walk 50 feet in Galway without seeing another sign about why you should vote yes or no to the Lisbon Treaty on October 2nd, but going into the debate I didn't have a clear understanding of what it would mean for Ireland if they were to vote yes or no. Post-debate, I still don't really feel like I know the real implications. But I will attempt to explain what I understand to be the main points, in my limited knowledge, for those of you not following the debate--I'm not sure how extensively it's being covered in the U.S. Any Irish citizens reading this, feel free to jump in if I'm mistaken about anything--I'm sure I will be.

From what I can tell, the Lisbon Treaty is designed to give the EU more influence in world affairs, by creating a stronger and more unified European Union.  EU policies will be more streamlined and implemented into European countries, economically, socially and militarily. From what I can tell, Ireland is concerned they will no longer have sovereignty over decisions like minimum wage, social issues like abortion, and their historic position of neutrality. Ireland voted no on the Lisbon Treaty a year ago, but nothing in the treaty was changed before it was brought up again for vote this year. Proponents of the no side are outraged by this, among other aspects of the treaty; essentially, the EU said "We didn't like your last vote, so try it again" without attempting to take Ireland's interests into account and modifying certain aspects that were areas of concern.

Like I said before, it's hard for me to tell what really would happen if Ireland were to say yes. The No side thinks Ireland will lose its influence in the EU, as they are a small state and will have complied with the treaty. The Yes side says that Ireland will be better off economically and more secure. I took several pictures of signs up in Galway, so I guess I'll let them speak for themselves too.

Both sides are accusing each other of scare mongering (familar, anyone?) and I can see why. Ireland doesn't run the risk of being kicked out of the European Union if they vote no, so a sign proclaiming "We're stronger with Europe" really doesn't mean anything. I think the No side seeks more influence within the EU rather than seperating itself from the union. Another poster has a photo of a woman smiling with the words "I'm safer with Europe", referencing the EU's commitment to women's rights. A speaker from the Libertas party at the NUI Galway debate drew laughs from the crowd when he said that such posters were irrelevant, as Ireland is already in the EU, and just a tactic; they attempt to say "If you are voting against the Lisbon Treaty, you are voting against women's rights" and if they thought that animal rights were a principle concern among voters, they would have printed posters that read "Ireland for kittens".

                                             But conversely, the Libertas poster that warns of "Irish Democracy 1916-2009" is seen as dramatic and downright dishonest by the Yes side. Though the EU would exercise more influence, the Irish democracy would still exist.

                                                              

The debate was undoubtedly heated and both sides accused each other of blatantly lying in their speeches. A representative of the Yes side responded to the speech of the representative of the Sinn Fein Party (vehemently on the No side, speech full of sweeping generalities and nationalistic statements ) by saying that his party was simply desperate to stay relevant in Irish politics though they were no longer. The last speaker on the Yes side was booed off the stage after he ignored his bell for time no fewer than five times. It left me, a student of politics accustomed to wading through the proverbial crap that accompanies American politics on a daily basis, unsure of who to believe. Since I didn't grow up in Ireland--have barely lived here a month--I can't take anything claimed by either side for granted.

I am interested to see how Ireland votes; I've heard predictions that the majority will say yes this time, but the opposition I'm sure will still be quite vocal.

Oh, I almost forgot my favorite propoganda from this campaign: a woman standing outside the university handing out fliers next to the young people who hand out fliers on the latest promotions running in the local night clubs. Only after I took the flier did I realize it wasn't for Club Karma or GPO, but "Club Lisbon":