Sir, – The letter authored by Willie O’Dea representing his and the views of a group of backbench Fianna Fáil TDs, and sent to the party’s headquarters, against the Government’s decision to scrap the triple lock not alone represents them but more importantly the views of the majority of the Irish people.
It must be remembered that at the European Council meeting in Seville (June 21st- 22nd, 2002) the other 14 EU governments accepted an Irish declaration that incorporated all the elements of the triple lock.
This solemn declaration proposed by the then Irish government and expressed in what’s known as The Seville Declaration convinced the Irish people to accept the Nice and Lisbon referendums.
This Seville Declaration is now not worth the paper it’s written on as the present Government ignores its ramifications while proposing to dismantle the triple lock – an essential structural element that maintains Irish military neutrality.
RM Block
If the triple lock was introduced to induce the Irish people to pass the Nice and Lisbon referendums then the Irish people must now be given the final say whether it continues to support or reject the triple lock. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
