Peter Power and the Liz Bonnin Treaty

We typically confine ourselves to the more parochial excitments of the goings on at UL but this post over on the Limerick Blogger stoked our interest.

I don’t know what poor Liz did to the Irish people that so many stand ready to reject her in the next few weeks. Yet the office here is abuzz with talk of how no one can understand her and if you were to sit though an evening with her that you’d by reaching for the humane killer quicker than the aspirin, that she is being foisted upon us by an unpopular government and that she is in the pay of sinister forces from overseas with ties to the US military.

Liz, oft described by Colin Murphy as the dusky one from “off the rails” and frankly the better looking one in our view was that rare thing in Irish television someone who knew how to tell a moleclear from a nucole. Yes indeed Liz has a science background. As Frank Millar said “All this and brains too”

Now, Liz like the rest of us isn’t perfect. That said in a certain light she comes pretty damn close.
So we ask that you think kindly of Liz, and maybe give you could slip her your No.1. Just on the QT mind.

In the topic of Liz, Peter Power—Limerick East TD, and recently-appointed Minister of State for Overseas Development—has written a guest post for The Limerick Blogger about her. The ‘yes’ camp has been fairly quiet up to recently, but, with the appointment of Taoiseach Cowen, it looks like that’s going to change. Given that the Treaty has already triggered so much debate in the comments here, we thought we might as well get a few more perspectives. So without further ado, here’s the re-edited text of Peter’s piece:

“Everyone knows that joining the EU was one of the best decisions our country ever made. A generation of true patriots saw that Ireland’s future was in Europe. Leaders like Seán Lemass and Paddy Hillery made sure that we didn’t join what is now the European Union in a defensive way – we joined as active and positive members. This is why it has worked so well for us, those continentals hadn't seen crafty hoors like us before. Others have sat at the margins waiting fotr someone to ask them to the dance but not us we have been at the centre, shaping a Union which has helped us and Europe as a whole to prosper.

As I travel across Limerick meeting people they often ask me ‘why da fuck are you throwing yet another European referendum and it in the middle of the Championship too?’ The answer is quite simple – the world is changing and so too must the EU. To tackle modern forces such as globalisation, climate change and cross-border crime countries cannot stand alone; and for us this means that we need an EU which has the structures, policies and procedures capable of having an impact.

This is what lies at the heart of the Lisbon Reform Treaty and this is why it is important for Ireland and for Europe that it be ratified.

The Treaty is the result of eight years of talks about talks, talks on walks, consultations and negotiations. Much of the detail of the Treaty was directly shaped during our Presidency of the European Council. Dat's right, it's our Treaty baby.

This is a good and balanced treaty as part of a calorie controlled diet which protects what works best in the Union (like people giving us loads on money) and reforms it in important ways (we're leaving the unimportant stuff 'til much later. The most significant of these changes are:

· It reforms the EU’s institutions and decision-making procedures – especially in ensuring that it can cope with the trebling of membership since we joined. we probablyt should have done something year ago when the Italians and the Greeks started to throw shapes but anything for a quite life.

· It introduces a number of changes to increase transparency and democratic oversight of the Union. Nothing too transparent mind, none of the dirty nudey stuff, only very artist transparency.

· It expands the Union’s role in peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts authorised by the United Nations.

· It ensures that the Union has a clearer voice on the world stage. And we're throwing in much improved diction especially now the bold Bertie is out of the way.

· It strengthens the Union’s power to act on major challenges such as climate change, cross-border crime and energy security. Face it vote No, and the summer is gone, kaput.

Bringing the positive message of these important changes to every community in the country is at the core of the campaign that the Fianna Fáil organisation is undertaking under the determined leadership of our new leader and Taoiseach Brian Cowen.

Ours is a positive message, but we will not be slow to counter the attacks of those who want Ireland to change its approach to Europe. During every European referendum groups have emerged which have claimed that deep conspiracies are being hatched against the people of Ireland. The most common tactic has not been to try to persuade people, but to try to confuse them.

We have no intention of standing back and letting them distort the Treaty or demonise a Union which is so important to the success of modern Ireland.

The Government is focusing all its efforts during this time of international economic uncertainty on trying to help businesses through these difficult times and the message is very clear; now more than ever we need the EU. We need it to be able to open up markets in Europe and the wider world for our companies. We need it to support our companies in finding new products to exploit these markets We need it to invest in building up our infrastructure.

This is why IBEC, the Small Firms Association and other organisations representing job creators are all supporting the Treaty.

Europe has also been central to supporting rural communities in a wide range of ways. Many bey keeping out so many poor foreigners. We are determined that this support will continue, but we have to make sure that we do nothing to damage our ability to build strong alliances with other countries.

The bottom line is that this Treaty is true to the model of a European Union (which was made by girl of 6 out of Lego) which has delivered so much for Ireland. Ireland needs the Union to be efficient and effective, and Ireland needs it to focus on meeting ever-changing modern challenges. Challenges like PowerBall and Capture the Flag.

If Europe is to remain relevant, if it is to continue to be a driver of peace and prosperity it cannot stand still. If it did stand still it would most likely be arrested by a French police officer and probably die in mysterious circumstances after a night in the cells. This is why we need reform and we need the Liz Bonnin Reform Treaty.”