Duff calls for end to fair referendum rules in Ireland
Truly extraordinary:
According to the Irish Times, British MEP Andrew Duff has asked Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin to commit the Government to scrap the ‘fair referendum’ rules in Ireland, which set out requirements for equal broadcasting time for both sides in a campaign.
He claimed: “Several bizarre judgments of the Supreme Court have put charlatans upon the same basis of parliamentarians."
Meanwhile, Northern Irish MEP Jim Allister reportedly accused Martin of having no “sense of shame” for not respecting the No vote in Ireland, to which Martin responded - to applause from the MEPs: “You should know better coming from your part of the world that saying No forever doesn’t work. Dialogue was the key to resolving common challenges and problems.”
Martin also repeated the Irish government’s claim that people voted No due to “lack of information”. He said, "Too many people are left unaware of the EU's achievements while those who oppose often succeed in peddling half truths”.
Can you explain why you consider our referenda rules fair?
Quite simple: balanced journalism. As BCI chief executive Michael O'Keeffe put it: "You must give equal opportunity to both sides of the argument irrespective of who is supporting and who is not." That seems fair to us.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0919/1221773888420.html
Why do MEPs like Andrew Duff make statements as above and then wonder why the majority of Irish (and English if they were allowed their say), want out of this system altogether.
Your answer to John was correct.They say that all they want is what's fair and right but what it boils down to is everything that's fair for them and nothing that's fair for us.
I back the Irish NO vote and say that we should also get to vote (NO that is!).