Europe and democracy – contradiction in terms

It doesn't matter if voters say No to the EU Constitution – their governments will either ignore them or make them vote again

We are repeatedly told by our political masters that democracy is the cornerstone of our whole system. For the most part, the word has now become just a term of abuse to attack republicans, socialists, anti-globalisation campaigners and sundry others who upset the comfortable consensus that constitutes our establishment political system.

But nowhere is the real contempt of the powers that be for true democracy shown more clearly than in relation to European affairs.

In recent years we have been presented with a series of referenda, treaties and new policies as if the issues at stake were not the terms of the new treaties but just a rerun of the original decision – taken for economic reasons – to join the Common Market.

When opponents complained that treaties like Maastricht gave new competences to the European Commission they were derided in all the main media outlets; when you complain now about the European Constitution, you are told you've already voted to accept that in Maastricht.

You can't win. And of course, when you did win in the first Nice referendum, well they just held a second one. And they refused to promise not to hold a third if they lost again.

This time round, though, surely it's not so easy. The French vote is still idir dhá cheann na meá (it could swing either way), but there's a distinct possibility it will be beaten, and more probably so will the referendum in the Netherlands a few days later.

Just in case you haven't got the point about democracy, European leaders, including our own Bertie Ahern are queuing up to tell us that the French vote will make no difference: the rest of Europe will just go ahead with the ratification process.

You can read the script: they hope to isolate France, face it with a fait accompli and then force through a rerun of the referendum there just as they did previously in Denmark and Ireland on other treaties.

The Dutch Government, though, have gone one further. They have announced that they will ignore the referendum result if not enough people turn out to vote, or if the result is close!

And they'll decide whether enough have indeed voted or whether or not the result is conclusive. That's democracy for you. No prizes for guessing that they will only ignore the result if it's "no".

You might wonder what the purpose of holding a referendum was.

Well, it's simple. The Dutch Government never contemplated a defeat and the referendum was planned as part of a rolling stone that would make voting "no" in any of the countries where the referendum might be in doubt an absurd and isolating act. The real point is that only states need constitutions. Many European politicians openly proclaim their objective of turning the European Union into a state. But not a whisper of that must be allowed to sully our ears, and for home consumption Irish politicians deride the aspirations openly advanced by Romano Prodi, Giscard d'Estaing, and indeed by themselves abroad.

In 1972 we joined an economic co-operation unit, which a majority believe has been crucial in raising our living standards and building up our economy. And every referendum since 1972 has been run on one question: are you in favour of being in the European Economic Community or not. That these referenda had political objectives was derided and sneered at.

It's a truism of Irish journalism that readers aren't interested in "Europe". At best people are aware of the economic benefits we are supposed to have achieved, but for the most part they don't go too deeply into the rest. And this abdication allows our political elite to manipulate the debate, to manipulate our democracy and indeed to reshape our democracy when we get the answer wrong.

None of the European leaders feels the slightest embarrassment about their blatant interference in the internal French debate, and last week Bertie and the Spanish prime minister met in Madrid to plan their contribution to the battle in France and, of course, what they will do afterwards.

None has said that democracy means that the will of the people must be respected, and that if the French say "no" the new treaty cannot come into force because the existing treaties require unanimity from all member states to affect a change.

But perhaps, you didn't notice. They have changed the rules, and have announced that if they get the Constitution through 80 per cent of the countries, the rest, including France, will just have to lump it.

For the sake of true democracy, it would be good to give these arrogant twisters a bloody nose and for us all to vote "no".