Anthony Burgess’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’ illustrates the nature of freedom of choice. After undergoing a period of reclamation treatment Alex is rehabilitated from a violent lusting teen to the perfect citizen, the action initiated by a government keen to relieve political pressure and public concern. However, he has no real choice in the determination of his destiny. He is compelled to turn the other cheek in a bid to avoid the physical unease, which he experiences even at the mere thought of committing a violent act. It is forgivable at this stage that the reader may question what has a literary classic got to do with the Lisbon Treaty? I am not for one second stating that the Irish electorate are composed of blood thirsty and dysfunctional creatures such as the character Alex, but his plight and the Irish electorate are slightly comparable.
On the 2nd October, the Irish people will be asked to vote in the second Referendum on the EU Lisbon Treaty, and like Alex, their freedom to choose has been curtailed. If their freedom of choice was respected, the result of the first referendum would stand. These sentiments are echoed in the words of the Supreme Court judgment in Hanafin v Minister for the Environment, where there was a challenge to a referendum result certificate. Hamilton CJ states, “The People are presumed to know what they want, to have understood the proposed amendment submitted to them and all of its implications” Furthermore he states, “The will of the people as expressed in a referendum providing for the amendment of the Constitution is sacrosanct and if freely given, cannot be interfered with. The decision is theirs and theirs alone” As a result, the Irish people rejected Lisbon and this should be respected.
Unfortunately Nicholas Sarkozy and his European Droogs have other ideas. Faced with this intense European pressure the Irish Government, like the Augustine government in the aforementioned novel, had to take drastic action. Following a series of intense summits Brian Cowen has victoriously claimed to have secured special guarantees over matters of Irish concern namely, defence, taxation and ethical matters. Moreover, he has declared that as we are deep in a recession a vote in favour of Europe will be a long term benefit to us all.
One may be forgiven for thinking that Ireland’s politicians used their unique position to their benefit having secured these assurances, but yet again young Alex and we may not be too dissimilar. Throughout his treatment Alex has be conned into signing consenting documents, provided with misinformation concerning the treatment, and given false assurances, possibly due to the fact that in reality the treatment is so wrong that no right thinking individual would consent to it. In the same way, our assurances that matters of defence, taxation and ethical considerations would not be transferred to Brussels, might not be as truthful as first thought, but in fact covered in a veil of complex European political jargon. Ireland has not secured legal protocols concerning these new guarantees, as this would result in a change to the text of the treaty, necessitating other member states to re-ratify the document. Thus, the basis for a second referendum are guarantees that are not legally binding, and will only be addressed in the future, possibly in 2011 when Croatia joins the EU. As a result, when the Irish electorate come out in force on October 2nd to exercise their democratic right, they will be voting on the exact same treaty that they rejected just over a year ago. What happens if this referendum returns a No vote? What’s to stop a third referendum? You may say the idea is ludicrous, but surely a second referendum on the same document is preposterous. Is it a case of the young child in the supermarket petitioning their tired mother for sweets? After so many requests the mother, like the Irish electorate, grants the child’s wishes, not because they believe it is the right choice, but for the sake of convenience and finality.
In the conclusion of A Clockwork Orange, having heard of the disastrous results reclamation treatment has on Alex, the Government realise their guilt and make amends, undoing all the effects of the treatment. Alex is now free to make decisions and is no longer fed a web of skewed explanations. Maybe a copy of the Lisbon Treaty should be complemented by Anthony Burgess’s novel at every member’s desk come the next Cabinet Meeting.
