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The Irish Hope
The only answer to problems in Austria, Europe and the Globalisation can be: more democracy!
This indeed is a very difficult path to take, because this necessarily is against the established political parties and powerfulls. A new commentary by H.P. Martin.
All current hope is build on Ireland. This is because there the only referendum on the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union will be held on June 12th.
This hope carries a name: Declan Ganley. He is a wealthy Irish, only 39 years of age, who has made a fortune in wood in a very young age. Ganley is worldly wise, intelligent and convinced that a “No” to the treaty is not only in the best Irish interest but also in the European interest. Therefore Ganley is ready to support the “No”-Campaign with knowledge and money. This is all the more important since the Irish Government and the EU are investing vast sums of money for propaganda trying to turn the Islanders into obedient yes-men. The governmental “Referendums commission” alone has a budget of more than five Mio Euro for advertisements, the Foreign Office is said to have a similar budget to its discretion. The undisclosed budgets of the European Institutions for “Information Offices” and others channels need to added to this. This is even too much for Ganley to match up with.
But due to his support the committed Irish citizens are not left totally destitute.
I met Ganley in Brussels. And what he said is what the majority of citizens think. “Of course I am in favour of Europe. But I would like to see a democratic Europe in which those responsible can be held accountable for their actions. And I want subsidiary, so that decisions are formed as close to the citizens as possible.”
Those are central arguments in the debate, which could be heard quite often already. Those who are against the Treaty in those points do not advance a new international chauvinism, like e.g right-wing instigators. Those in favour of citizens’ democracy and closeness to citizens are indeed fighting for peace and justice. In Brussels the reign of irresponsibility will not be ended by the new EU-Treaty. Commissioners and EU-Councils control the EU- machinery and there still will be no law passed that had been introduced by the European Parliament. “The true Anti-Europeans are located in Brussels” Ganley argues. He asks that small countries like Ireland and Austria will not loose more influence e.g. the right to vote in the council nor by withdrawal of their own commissioner.
If Ganley and his campaigners could win a “No” in Ireland, this would be a success for democracy in Europe, because a new, fairer treaty will have to be negotiated.
Also in Austria the times are changing. New citizen orientated flowers are sprouting. A young group is e.g. committed to “Democratic-Referendum” to establish referendum on a regular basis. Thousand flowers of democracy and civil courage could be in blossom here one day, multifarious but without the poisoned blossoms of contempt of mankind and extremism.
This Article was inter alia published in the “Kronenzeitung” on 18.05.2008.
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