Irish must be accounted for

Tony Blair once famously asked the European Parliament: 'The people are blowing the trumpets around the city walls. Are we listening?' He received a standing ovation that day as he spoke about the proposed constitution for Europe which was eventually rejected by both the French and the Dutch. The same could equally be asked in the context of the Lisbon Treaty, recently rejected by the Irish.

The EU seems to have headed into something of a dead end. The Irish are in the eye of the storm. They have been singled out for both undisguised scorn as well as for lavish praise. Some believe they have rather capriciously brought Europe to a standstill. Others say they have reflected the opinion of the peoples across Europe. As always, when it comes to European issues, widely divergent views and emotions are expressed right across the geographic span of Europe even if where those actual borders start and finish is not really clear to anyone.

Equally divergent views have been expressed here. Many have lauded the Irish courage while others have pointed out that Europe cannot afford to wait for the Irish to get their bearings right.

Such have been the extremity of opinions that I have found myself disagreeing with both sides. I disagree with the view that the Lisbon Treaty is a stealth bomb waiting to explode and that the Irish have done us a favour. I, however, even more strongly disagree with the other extremity which is arguing that it's just the Irish, one per cent of Europe, that has voted against the treaty and that we should soldier on and let the Irish sort themselves out.

Such a view can never be endorsed. Especially when in the run up to EU membership it was argued that Malta, the smallest country in the EU, would be a respected member of the Union and that its views would not be trampled on and ignored. This was true then, it should be equally true now.

It's ironic, and maybe somewhat symptomatic of our society today, that it is only now, months after our Parliament unanimously approved the treaty, that some form of public debate on it is taking place. People are expressing definite views even if some of them are based on a superficial understanding of the subject.

While acknowledging that we should never wait for our political leaders to initiate any form of debate, it is likely that they have done us a disservice by purposely not pushing the Lisbon Treaty debate. In truth, once the Nationalist Party decided not to raise the profile of the debate, the Labour Party had no choice but to follow suit. But the PN could and should have raised the debate, especially in view of the fact that it is the party that took us into Europe. We joined Europe but it seems that we need not debate it any longer. There was and there continues to be no public face pushing the debate on the Lisbon Treaty.

This is also equally true on the pan-European scene. But the problem lies at a much deeper level. No political leader of stature has pushed the Lisbon Treaty. All the heads of state seem to be singing from the same hymn book but none of them has struck a higher note and risked his political future on it. And this is the malaise that is hitting Europe right now. No one is taking risks. Political leaders are accused of ignoring public opinion but in actual fact they seem to have become hostage to it.

In the past, Europe has moved ahead because its leaders took considerable political risks. The very start of the European Union was a political risk pushed by leaders who were ready to risk all for their vision. The same could be said for other important developments within the EU such as the birth of the single currency and indeed enlargement towards the east of Europe. Today, no one seems ready to make such bold moves, hence why no leader has pledged his future on the Lisbon Treaty, hence why Europe risks paralysis.

Indeed one may argue that the Lisbon Treaty is not bold enough and probably does not provide the necessary framework to take Europe forward. This may be debatable but it is certainly a considerable improvement on the Nice Treaty with which the EU continues to hobble forward.

The Irish may add up to just one per cent but they have managed to jolt the whole of Europe. In the past, the EU project has shown that it is an organic project that has grown and adapted to the times. It will have to do so again. The numbers now dictate that a serious consideration of the two- or indeed three-speed model must be undertaken. This could very possibly be the way forward but before moving ahead the Irish quandary will need to be properly dealt with.