Sir, - While rightly praising our Government and public servants for their efficient handling of the EU presidency, your correspondents deplore the public's "ignorance" and "bewilderment" concerning the inter-Governmental Conference. The implication is that the public is stupid and must be educated with yet more fact sheets, articles, web pages, etc., etc. But will this have any more effect than all the previous propaganda?
Why should we spend time studying all the decisions handed down to us when we have no power whatever to influence them? Can we, if we are socialists, stop our nationalised industries being privatised, or vote in a government which will spend its way out of a recession - without being fined by Frankfurt? Or if we are nationalists, can we protect our sovereignty on the seas for our fishermen, or stop our own currency being abolished?
If we are pacifists, can we preserve Irish neutrality? if we are internationalists, can we vote to extend the EU to include the countries of Eastern Europe? On innumerable topics such as these, the public has no opportunity to give an opinion or cast a vote. They do not appear in party manifestos. Why not?
Sometimes it is because our Government itself has no power; it is only carrying out orders from the EU. On other occasions the politicians and public servants, infected with the EU virus, believe that they are there to tell us what we should, not to ask us what we do, think.
The result is that we switch 9ff. The only reason for taking an interest in the IGC is to form an opinion on the issues at stake. But no one is interested in our opinion. Our role is not to contribute with ideas, nor even to support or oppose our leaders' ideas. Our role is to read all the reports and proposals and plans, and then.... and then what?
Forget it. We have better ways of occupying our time.
A final point: many of our young people, and not-so-young ones also, have years of experience of living and working abroad, speaking foreign languages, etc. By contrast, our politicians and public servants are usually the most insular of people, whose forays overseas are strictly in an official coccoon - apart from the odd holiday. But the latter presume to lecture the former all about Europe; and are surprised that we are not very interested or do not believe them! - Yours, etc.,
Strand Road, Killiney, Co Dublin.