The ‘No’ campaign to the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland has seen some curious bedfellows, notably Sinn Fein and Nigel Farrage, the UKIP leader, who came to campaign in Ireland on behalf of the pan-European ‘Libertas’. Farrage’s appearance in Dublin went down like a lead balloon and did untold damage to the ‘No’ campaign, insofar as it reinforced the view of ‘Yes’ campaigners that for Ireland to estrange herself from Europe means coming closer to Britain. It now appears that Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, has given a boost to the ‘No’ campaign by suggesting that Ireland has been right to resist the EU’s growth in power since it threatens Ireland’s moral and cultural identity. The Irish Bishops’ Conference seems to have remained silent on the matter, although the Bishop of Down and Connor has said that Catholics may vote ‘Yes’ in good conscience.
Enthusiasm for Europe has been a natural outgrowth of nationalism in Ireland and it fundamentally distinguishes the politics of, say, Fine Gael and its conservative counterpart in Britain. Nevertheless, a tipping point must come when Irishmen see that the threat to their independence from Europe could be as great or greater than the threat from Britain. Concerns about the economy have blinded Fine Gael to the danger Ireland faces, and which Cardinal Bertone has pointed out. Hopefully ‘Libertas’ has not done too much damage to the ‘No’ campaign, and the Irish people will not allow themselves to be bullied into accepting a treaty that could compromise the Republic.
