In its fevered desperation to pass the Lisbon Treaty, the Irish government has now gone into total overkill.
In addition to its campaigning website on the Treaty itself, which is www.lisbontreaty.ie, and of course the suspiciously slick Generation Yes campaign, the Government has now launched yet another new website "to explain what the EU has done for Ireland." It is a frankly shocking example of propaganda financed by the public purse.
Absolutely no attempt is made to even pretend that this is neutral information written to help people's understanding of the EU (which we all agree is desperately needed).
Take this for example. Among the 10 'Frequently Asked Questions' about the EU are such gems as:
"Is the EU working to make sure my children's toys are safe?"
"What about the food I eat and the water I drink? How does the EU help to make them safer?"
and
"I bought a camera on my holidays last month in Spain, but it isn’t working. Does the shop in Spain have to fix it? "
Eh? Frequently asked questions? How about: "What is the European Commission" "What do MEPs actually do" and "What proportion of our laws are made in Brussels?"
This shameless, concerted and no doubt expensive brainwash campaign is the latest in a long, long list of examples of how too many people in positions that matter simply do not understand the desperate need for a fair and balanced debate about the EU and its future.
Not only that, but we also hear that crazed politicians around Europe have decided to have no qualms at all about wading right into the Irish debate and demanding that voters say yes - with the new EP President, Jerzy Buzek planning a trip.
All this is very depressing for a Friday afternoon.
6 comments:
Thats what i like to see democracy in action, and they wonder why so many more people want to get out of this dictatorship
An Irish Bedtime Story for all Nice Children and not so Maastricht Adults
http://ceolas.net/#eu7x
The Happy Family
Once upon a time there was a family treaty-ing themselves to a visit in Lisbon.
On the sunny day that it was they decided to go out together.
Everyone had to agree on what they would do.
"So", said Daddy Brusselsprout "Let's all go for a picnic!"
"No", said Aunt Erin, "I don't want to".
Did they then think of something else, that they might indeed agree on?
Oh yes they did?
Oh no they didn't!
Daddy Brusselsprout asked all the others anyway, isolating Erin, and then asked her if instead, she would like to go with them to the park and eat out of a lunch basket....
Kids, we'll finish this story tomorrow, and remember, in the EU yes means yes and no means yes as well!
The Kinnock woman airbrushes out the utterly disgraceful manipulation of Britain's House of Commons. The Lisbon debate was eviscerated by government whips, who contrived to compartmentalise the Treaty and bar members from broadening their comments. Very like the despicable European Parliament itself.
I'm not too worried about all these "yes" groups popping up like mushrooms.
The one thing the uniformly lack is actual information about the Lisbon Treaty. This is simply because the one thing all these "yes" groups are trying to avoid is debate about the content of the treaty itself.
I suppose the one positive about having a second referendum is that irish voters are more cautious now and a lot more cynical of such groups since the Irish Government and their "partners in Europe" did such a good job smearing Libertas.
I think it's incredibly ironic that they should then follow the Libertas Playbook step by step themselves this time around.
A victory (for either side) won't come though flashy websites, advocacy groups with dubious funding ("Generation Yes" I'm looking at you) and billboards. It will come from the people and it will come from information.
The latter is one thing these yes groups won't provide.
'What is the Commission' is answerered here - http://www.eumatters.ie/How-the-EU-Works/How-does-the-EU-work-.aspx
Richard Green's article in the Irish Times this week shows that the only uninformed side is the 'no' side
When those hundreds of Eurocrats descend on schools to tell the children how wonderful the EU is, perhaps they might like to explain why the children's parents never see or hear from their elected MEPs, except at election time, and how the children's parents are paying for the unelected Eurocrats to spend time in schools. The children may also like to ask what expenses the Eurocrats are claiming for having to "work" away from Brussels and how they can afford to leave the important jobs they would otherwise be doing.
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