Qui si sana, Ireland

I recently met a Maltese/Irish couple who emigrated to Ireland before that country became a member of the European Union, and whose address, in typical Irish charm, is Qui si sana, Ireland. How does their own experience tally with the Labour Party's scaremongering campaign on Europe?

These were their views.

In a nutshell, what has changed most for Ireland?

"Quite simply, we have more jobs, more opportunities and a far better education system than we had before, plus outside investment, of which we had so little of before.

"Many years ago, the Irish, like the Maltese, had to emigrate to find jobs. Now it is the other way around!"

As an Irish working woman, mother and housewife, what were the benefits you saw?

"Although there is always fear of change basically, EU membership has brought about better working opportunities for my children. Before membership, the Irish had perhaps a bit of a casual work ethic. We had to wake up, take stock and compete! We did and Ireland has been booming for years. There was a culture shock in the work place initially, but these were changes which were needed anyway for Ireland to become seriously competitive. Quite simply, it was harder to find work before EU membership..."

Did the Irish in any way lose their identity, their "Irishness" because of EU membership?

If anything, the opposite is true. The whole of Europe has got to know more about Irish culture, things like Irish dance which were practically unknown before. The EU simply can't make you lose your identity and doesn't remotely try to do this.

"There were, for example, some speciality shops which didn't want to update their hygiene standards and chose to close down rather than update these standards. Things like hygiene were definitely improved by EU regulations."

And what about prices?

"Prices did not go up with EU membership. EU membership meant more jobs, a better standard of living, more money in the people's pockets... But you have to be careful if you bring in the euro.

"Whenever a new currency is introduced, prices go up because retailers round up their prices to the new currency. It happens everywhere."

Who gained most as a group?

"The farmers without a doubt. They were among the poorest. But all that has changed. Irish farmers received generous subsidies, had a huge market for their products and this industry, which is a very important one in Ireland, has boomed."

Were most of the political parties in favour of joining? Are there any regrets now?

"Nobody would contemplate leaving now. Generally, all parties were in favour. They put the national interest first.."

My own comment: Meanwhile, in Malta, Mr Mintoff is about to join the debate about EU membership.

He is not saying he is against membership, as Dr Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici said when he headed CNI, just against the package the PN is negotiating. It does make you wonder.

How responsible was the MLP in not joining forces with the PN to try and get the best deal for this little, divided country?Only time, and perhaps Mr Mintoff, will tell.