Voters 'angry' ahead of EU referendum
President of the European Parliament Pat Cox today urged the public to vote positively in the forthcoming Nice Treaty referendum.
The MEP revealed that he met anger at the weekend when trying to persuade voters to ratify the treaty in October and allow for the expansion of the European Union.
Speaking a day after Bertie Ahern’s Fianna Fail party launched its 'Yes' campaign, Cox said he spent the past few days talking to people in Co Kerry, in his Munster constituency.
He told of the reaction he met from people, particularly after Friday’s publication of the Flood Tribunal interim report into Government corruption in the 1970s and 1980s.
The inquiry, chaired by Mr Justice Feargus Flood, revealed in its interim report that former Fianna Fail minister Ray Burke received corrupt payments totalling almost £200,000 (€254,000) in the 1970s and 1980s.
"I met a lot of anger out there, especially on Friday," he said, speaking on the radio.
"There was still a lot of anger the day after the Flood Tribunal, and a lot of real or sometimes suppressed anger about the way things went since the election.
"I’ve been saying to people, please try to separate out the issues, the domestic issues which are very important and the short-term political questions from the long-term national interest.
"I am saying to people this is now a people’s question, it is bigger than party, it is bigger than even any individual government, and please try to stand back and see the wood for the trees."
Mr Cox spoke of the benefits of allowing other countries to join the European Union by voting positively on October 19.
"I’m making the point to people that 30 years in the premiere division in Europe has been a transforming and overwhelmingly positive experience," he said.
"I’m saying to them don’t unbundle this with the anger you may feel in the short-term about issues. Don’t cut off your own nose to spite your face."
At yesterday’s Fianna Fail campaign launch Brian Cowen, Minister for Foreign Affairs, said it would be a "mistake" to use the referendum to protest at other matters.
He said: "Some say they should use the vote on the Nice treaty to send a message about other matters. Some may be tempted to do so. This would be a mistake.
"We all understand the concerns which presently exist about the economic situation in our country. We understand the outrage and anger which has greeted the publication of the Flood Tribunal’s interim report.
"But these are issues which must be addressed in their own terms and on their own merits. They should be kept quite separate from the treaty of Nice."
Ratification of the Nice Treaty on October 19 would allow a number of former communist states and other current non-members to join the European Union.
The treaty cannot technically be ratified until the people of Ireland vote to change their constitution.
It will be the second Irish referendum on the matter - the public last year voted against ratification.
