On June 7th of last year, the people of this country voted in a free and fair, properly constituted referendum to reject the Nice Treaty. The government were then constitutionally obliged to accept and to implement the expressed decision of the people.

The government had no lawful choice in the matter; they were bound by the decision of the people as the highest authority in the land. However, they have instead openly defied the properly expressed decision of the people at the ballot box and have demonstrated outright disrespect for any vote that was cast unless it was a vote that was cast in accordance with their own desired outcome.

There is no precedent in the history of this state for what the government has done. Holding this referendum again is a denial of democracy.

Those of us opposed to Nice have been accused of damaging respect for Ireland internationally. But only those with self-respect can earn the respect of others. The government displayed to all of Europe a lack of respect for its own people and surely that can only have diminished the international reputation of the Irish government and of this State.

It is quite certain that if Germany, or France or Britain had voted down this Treaty in a referendum that their governments would not have acted as ours has done?

We should remember that Denmark has said No to the EU twice. Denmark, Sweden and Britain have said No to the Euro currency....and yet Denmark currently hold the presidency of the EU. So much for losing respect?

The government have had a full 15 months since the last referendum to engage in honest debate on the implications of the Nice Treaty, but instead they have waited until a matter of weeks before the referendum is to be held and have now begun a campaign of hysteria, warning of all sorts of dire consequences...they would have us believe that the sky is going to fall in if we say no.

They choose to resort to scare mongering rather than to debate the real facts:

• Losing our Commissioner for long periods of time
• Losing 3 of our MEP's
• Having our voting strength on the Council of Ministers reduced
• Creating a two-tier, two-speed heavily militarised Europe
• Losing our right of veto in 30 new policy areas.

These are only some of the real facts that caused us to reject this flawed treaty last year and yet the government do not address these facts. There is nothing in this Treaty for Ireland. Nothing except the loss of our sovereignty and neutrality. That is why the government failed to sell it to the people before and that is why it is right to reject it again.

The government know only too well that EU enlargement can go ahead without the Nice treaty so why do they keep saying otherwise? This argument should be blown out of the water, it is a red herring and a blatant untruth. Enlargement can go ahead with or without the Nice Treaty on the same basis that we ourselves joined and on the same basis as Spain, Portugal and Greece in their turn joined too, via individual accession treaties.

It is ironic that the government use money from the public purse to create a new Minister for Europe, to produce their booklets, and then to charge the very taxpayers who have already said no to this treaty in the first place, for the cost of a referendum that they don't even want!

Writing in the Irish Times on Monday September 9th, Mr. Tjerk Westerterp, the Netherlands Foreign Minister who signed Ireland's Accession Treaty with the EEC in 1972, as well as the Accession Treaties with the UK and Denmark at the same time, called on the Irish people to vote No to Nice.

Mr. Westerterp said: " The Irish people have the unique opportunity to possibly prevent this (democratic deficit) from happening. May the Irish voters take this important fact into account at the second referendum. I was proud of the Irish people having voted in majority No at the first referendum on Nice. As a Dutchman and citizen of the European Union, I sincerely do hope that we may continue to be proud of Ireland. A No vote will not be a vote against Europe. On the contrary!"

It is important to remember that this referendum is not about Irelands continued membership of the EU. We are already full members of the European Union and that will not change nor is it the question. The question is do we want to change the rules of the EU as they stand at present? Do we want to continue as we are, as full members of an economic union of legally equal member states? Or do we wish to go down the road of creating an EU superstate, a world power with its own army where others can make enemies on our behalf? Where our own government would lose its voice and power in that superstate and become something that might equate to a County Council. With all real decision making transferred to Brussels or Strasbourg?

That is the reality of the decision we must take because if Nice were to be accepted it could never be undone. Ireland has the power right now to alter the future course of the European Union. We are the only ones that can. It is an important duty that we have and that is why it is right to say No.

Voting No to Nice was right last year and it is still right. No to Nice is a positive vote for Irelands Democracy, Independence and Neutrality and for the future development of the EU as a whole.