We Said NO

No offence to any journalists out there but, when it comes to the Lisbon Treaty, the Irish media are missing the point completely. Their emphasis is on the fact that we didn't understand the importance of the vote; that we acted out simply because we don't trust our politicians, as if it was a childish attempt to get back at them or something.

Well! One thing we certainly DO understand is the crisis we are in now. Politicians in Europe - in Ireland, France, Spain, and others - are going over the heads of the people they are supposed to represent.

You know there were celebrations in the streets across Europe after Ireland's No vote? I don't see many reports of that in the media. The media are as eager to make us feel stupid and guilty as the politicians are; portraying us (as the Irish Independent's Lise Hand put it) as "a nation of ingrates" and an embarrassment to Europe. We were the only ones with a voice and We Said No. And we were under the impression that we had the right to say no. Seems not!

I think MOST people who voted No knew what they were doing. We may not trust our politicians, but that had little, if anything, to do with it. The problem was that we didn't trust the effin' Treaty! OR the direction in which Europe seems to be heading...

One good thing that came from the No vote is that it exposed the current reality of EU "democracy". No-compaigners were afraid the new EU would mean Ireland had less say and less of a voice. What better proof of those fears than Nicolas Sarkozy's respone to the result! He declared that Ireland's vote didn't matter, and would not stop what so many countries have already ratified.

This is not the EU we signed up to. This is an EU where we have no voice; where big countries change the rules when things don't go their way. The people of France's voting rights were taken away. It was originally agreed all 27 had to ratify the Treaty for it to be accepted, now it doesn't seem to matter.

With an approval rating of around 30% (on a good day), Sarkoze has some nerve to suggest he speaks for the French people.

The EU, and our politicians, only ever saw our vote as a formality; an empty formula. It seems our constitutional rights, and our opinions, only count when those in power agree (i.e. NICE) We made the "wrong" decision so they gave us a chance to redeem ourselves and, like naughty children rapped on the wrist by a government and media who insist we are ignorant, we obediently changed our minds. If we have another referendum, I pray we stick by our vote. We should not be pushed around by those who WE voted into power.

True, the EU has been good to us, but just because they helped fund our economy, does that mean they own us? Should we fall into line, blindly agreeing with whatever they put to us? It was advertised that the Treaty would make the EU more "democratic." We can already see what an absolute lie that was.

Legalise it?

(Journo Assignment, Feb 26th 07 - interviewed randomers in Dublin City)

Gay Byrne's statement to Eamonn Dunphy last weekend has managed to open a controversial, although vital, discussion about the possibility of legalising certain drugs. The media is lapping it up, thrilled to report such a controversy.


The whole furore is reminiscent of Gaybo's younger, crazier days - constantly pushing for discussion of issues which people were reluctant to hear about. After all, "There was no sex in Ireland before the Late Late Show!"


The time has come for a proper debate and for the subject's taboo to be lifted. Gay's point that the current legislation against drugs has "demonstrably failed" is a reasonable one, but is legalisation really the way to go?


In a Vox Pop around Dublin's city streets, responses were varied. Some were vehemently against legalisation, answering with a definite and resounding "No!" Others were very much in favour of it, thinking it would do wonders for crime. A Mr. Mc Donnel (28) remarked that "You wouldn't have people going out robbing houses!" He also believed muggings and violent crimes would be hugely reduced.


According to Mr. Mc Donnel, Ireland would simply turn into another Holland , improving tourism for (perhaps) all the wrong reasons.


An elderly couple chorused sagely that "It won't stop, it'll never stop", adding that "drug barons will still reign" even if some or all drugs were made legal. According to them, it would reverse all the good efforts made to wean people off drugs (with Methadone Clinics etc)


"Look at Holland, it's pretty mellow, but in Ireland we're just not used to it" said Shamlan (18), a student of RCSI, who made the point that a responsible drug culture wouldn't be able to develop "all of a sudden". It is certainly possible that it would make the crime situation a lot worse, with people simply taking advantage of any new leniency.


Gay was not specific as to whether he felt some or all drugs should be legalised, but a surprising amount of people interviewed were in favour of Cannabis's legalisation, even those totally opposed to other drugs.


Recent statistics show that close to 50% of people between the ages of 12-17 have used Cannabis – and that's just those who admit it! The fact is that drugs are readily available in Ireland to anyone who wants them, and the Drugs Squad estimate that they only intercept around 10% of all drug imports.


Two Gardaí on patrol in St. Steven's Green said they'd be delighted if softer drugs were legalised. "It would get the junkies out of here anyway, because they could go home to do it!" I laughed an agreement, having often noticed huddles of suspiciously giddy teenagers hidden among the trees, shrouded in smoke.


Cannabis (aka Marijuana, Weed, Grass, Herb, Hash, Dope, Hemp, Pot…) is known to have medicinal uses. It can, for example, be used to ease a terminally ill patient's pain. Last January a British couple and one other person were arrested and given 9-month suspended sentences for selling cannabis-laced chocolate bars to multiple sclerosis sufferers.


They reportedly told police they made the "Canna-Biz" bars (containing around 3.5 grams of the substance) in their kitchen and mailed them out on request. They insisted the product was only available to MS sufferers who provided a medical note confirming their condition .

B. Shorthall (50), who admitted that he himself used to smoke Cannabis and subsequently dabbled in many other drugs, said this progression was simply a personal choice. He denounced the common belief that Cannabis is a "Gateway Drug".

He said he knows many people who have been "smokers" all their lives and have never seen the need to try any "harder" drugs. In fact, in his opinion, if soft drugs such as Cannabis were legal, it would mean that users would not have the contact with dealers they do now - lessening the temptation to experiment with "harder stuff" down the line.


"I don't think (Cannabis) is necessarily harmfull" he said. A common view seems to be that the fact "weed" is illegal, while alcohol flows freely, is an absurd double-standard. Alcohol makes a person behave violently, while smoking has a much more placating effect. Also, alcohol is just as damaging to a person's mental and physical health – if not more so.

Mr. Shotrhall insisted that Cannabis's legalisation would be greatly beneficial to making "smoking" safer, as it would bring about quality control. One of the greatest dangers to users of "grass" is that it can often be laced with PolyChlorinated Biphenyl (PCB), a highly dangerous chemical also known as "Angeldust".


When asked if he thought there was any truth in the supposed link between Cannabis usage and schizophrenia, he shook his head, saying, "of course it is mentally detrimental if a person were to smoke it every single day... it certainly dulls the brain... and can make a person lose perspective... but posession definitely shouldn't be a criminal offence."


"It should be taken the way someone would take a glass of wine with a meal" he said.

*class assignment - enjoyed this one*