madam president eu leaders will meet in brussels next week and if the taoiseach brian cowan proposes that irish support for the treaty of lisbon can be secured by agreeing political declarations or making soothing noises on a selection of issues he is being deeply misleading
the taoiseach has sought to distract attention from the profound dissatisfaction which the people not only in ireland but much more broadly feel with the direction the eu is heading
opinion polls in ireland and indeed the government's own research into the no vote have outlined people's concerns over workers rights public services militarisation and democracy and these concerns are shared by millions of workers and families across the union
the economic crisis which faces us demonstrates that now more than ever public services and workers rights need to be protected from unfettered and unregulated market forces
as governments grapple with the crisis it becomes increasingly clear that the treaty of lisbon is obsolete
governments have rediscovered the need for state intervention in the public interest the need for flexibility and discretion in responding to their people's needs and they have learnt a costly lesson
they have learned that the market is not king
it cannot provide all of the solutions and yet lisbon seeks the coronation of this failed free-market approach that has brought such havoc in its wake
we need a new direction and the truth is that the treaty of lisbon does not provide it
the irish government has failed to bring the debate to other governments it has failed to seek a better deal not just for ireland but for the whole union
the irish government should learn a lesson from its people it should learn to lead
and it must lead the way
but all eu leaders bear a responsibility to address to really address the people's concerns
cynical political manoeuvres and empty rhetoric will not win irish support for lisbon will not address the serious flaws in the treaty of lisbon but above all will not provide the new paths that the eu needs
leaders have a choice
they can lead from the hearts and spirits of their peoples or they can make decisions that are in the interests of the lobbyists and the bureaucrats
to the eu leaders i say make the right choice listen to ireland and hear in its voice the echo of france and the netherlands the demand for reform for renewal the demand for change
