A good day for democracy

The decision by the Government to consult the people by referendum on the new European fiscal treaty is very welcome. As Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore said: "In the weeks ahead, there will be ample opportunity for debating the detail of the Treaty provisions." There will be plenty of time over the coming months to debate the merits of the treaty, the direction Europe is going, the alternatives if any, and the power of the markets. Questions such as the continued adherence to austerity programmes should be central to this referendum - and any attempt to suggest otherwise is to seriously misunderstand the public mood. This will - and must - be central to the campaigns. The previous remarks by the likes of Leo Varadkar that referendums were not democratic were political poppycock of the highest order. If the Government cannot convince the people of the merits of a referendum, then the referendum deserves to be lost. And if Minister Varadkar and his colleagues are unable to persuade the Irish voters that austerity across Europe is not the way forward, then this referendum will also be lost. Let us hope the debate sheds more light than heat on the various issues and that the Irish people are given full and open information on the fiscal treaty. Yesterday was a good day for democracy. Now it's over to the people.