Obsession

The Irish Times interviews Eamon Gilmore, the Irish Labour leader in today's edition, and a classic federast political line comes out.

"Irish people needed to stop being "fixated" on the treaty" he said. Of course it isn't the Irsh people who are fixated on the Treaty after all they defeated it and legally killed it. Instead it is the Irish political class who are fixated on finding any means by which they can overturn the Referendum result.

So though Gilmore, utterly rejected a seond referendum on the Treaty at the time of his defeat he is coming round to the idea. But of course it won't be a referendum on the Treaty, but a broader one,

it was incumbent on voters to hold a wider discussion about Ireland's relationship with Europe, as well as the future of the EU itself.

However, when asked if the people would need to be consulted again about the treaty, he replied: "Of course . . . any change in an EU treaty requires a referendum here. There is obviously going to be another referendum at some point on a European issue. The question is what question is going to be put to people in that referendum?

"We would be more productively engaged if we addressed the general question of where the EU is going [and] what our relationship with Europe is.

Ah now I understand Mr Gilmore. He is talking about having an in/out referendum. The question to be formulated in a In (including the Treaty) or Out (where you will starve and the evil Brits will control your destiny once more).

So Mr Gilmore, your fixation on the EU, and the Treaty in particular would leave you holding the people to ransom. The thing is it is unecessary. There is no need for a second referendum, none at all.