Peter Murtagh in the Irish Times remarks that the European elections fell on the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings, when “people of decency began to wrest back from fascists a continent they had plunged into barbarity.” The EU, he argues, is “in many ways a living monument to what was achieved” that day.
A Eurosceptic right now exists that considers the EU “a dictatorship.” The cleverest, he argues, “cloak their supposedly commonsense credos in reasonableness.” During a recession, however, such groups show their true colours and “identify foreigners as part of our problem and suggest we should brand them with coloured cards.” No-one has been fooled, however, argues Murtagh, in what, to an Irish readership, is a clear allusion to anti-Lisbon treaty Libertas’ failure to win seats in Ireland.
Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!
It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.
Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!