Irish Government-Five EU Submissions to try to change Fiscal Compact Treaty-Stops EU Release of Papers

[ang]

What is this Government trying to hide these submissions from the Irish people and why are the EU obliging them ?

Did this Government submit papers insisting that the Irish people be blackmailed into submission on the Fiscal Compact Treaty ?

The documents were submitted for and on behalf of the Irish people surely they have a right to know what exactly was submitted.

The European Council has refused to release documents on the fiscal treaty after the Government intervened

The spokesperson for the general secretariat of the council, Jakob Thomsen, said: "Given the arguments raised by Ireland and after having examined the content of the requested documents, the general secretariat came to the conclusion that their release would undermine the protection of the public interest as regards the financial, monetary or economic policy of the union."

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...rs-199935.html

[DCon]

Perhaps a friendly MEP could get access?

[Sam Lord]

So, am I understanding this correctly? The government made five submissions to the EU with regard to the fiscal compact treaty, public knowledge of which would serve to undermine the EU?

[C. Flower]

FoI ?

It seems very dubious that the Government has any right to keep this information private from citizens. Or are all the Governments making "wheeler dealer" bids / threats/manoeverings that would tear the EU apart if seen in public ?

[Greengoddess]

Perhaps a friendly MEP could get access?

This particular one has only just seen this. We have been told nothing about anything so far. I wonder could it be that there is an argument that their release might really make a bad situation worse? I am also hoping that these submissions have nothing to do with any lobbying activities......

[Dr. FIVE]

their release might really make a bad situation worse

Labour's Red C figures?

[Count Bobulescu]

FoI ?

It seems very dubious that the Government has any right to keep this information private from citizens. Or are all the Governments making "wheeler dealer" bids / threats/manoeverings that would tear the EU apart if seen in public ?

I read the Examiner piece and was again frustrated by Irish news reporting. They tell you that a request was made to inspect the records, but they don’t give any indication as to who made the request, (probably because it was another news outlet), or whether it was made under Irish or EU or joint statute. The ITis often guilty of similar omissions.

Seems to me that the Gummint and EU Council are both claiming a form of Executive Privilege under the deliberative process exemptions that I assume exist under whichever statute was used to make the request.

I notice that at least one reason advanced by the EU Council for withholding the records was that treaty ratification was still underway. That objection will eventually go away. What objection to release will then be raised?

I’m not familiar with either the Irish or European FOI laws. If anyone has handy links I’d appreciate them

[Greengoddess]

Labour's Red C figures?

Dr. Five . I am not sure if that was a joke. It referred to the national interest . My assistant will be making inroads into this on Monday.
Just so you and anyone else knows, I consider the red c results to be irreversible and that Labour itself is a candle in the wind. Short of a political miracle or drastic action.

[Ephilant]

... and that Labour itself is a candle in the wind. Short of a political miracle or drastic action.

Isn't that what happens when a political party starts kissing back sides instead of kicking them? A bit like PASOK here...although or Veni is convinced he's the come-back man, with our without miracles and definetely without action.

[Greengoddess]

It bears some relationship to Pasok but their institutional corruption is not shared. By Labour. Not in that form. In many ways, after the positioning in the final week of the election, we had no choice. You may not have R Quinn, in a moment of jaw drooling honesty, admit to knowingly signing a poster about uni fees which he knew to be unustsinable. Sinn Fein are doing the same thing. As did Syriza. The question remains: can voters face the truth? At least facing it the scary stuff is then visible and there is a possibility of radical choices being made.

[Ephilant]

. The question remains: can voters face the truth? At least facing it the scary stuff is then visible and there is a possibility of radical choices being made.

It would help if they were told the truth to start with...

[Greengoddess]

That's what I meant.

[C. Flower]

That's what I meant.

The whole EU project has been miss-sold.

It was never a Union of citizens and was always about rolling back social and economic gains made by the working class (including "middle class" people who work) post WW2.

[Apjp]

This particular one has only just seen this. We have been told nothing about anything so far. I wonder could it be that there is an argument that their release might really make a bad situation worse? I am also hoping that these submissions have nothing to do with any lobbying activities......

Well if you could do the other 5 million of us a favour..

[Greengoddess]

Well if you could do the other 5 million of us a favour..

What?