As a citizen, this is crucially important. I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say we are privileged and honoured to be asked to submit a proposal to the sub-committee.
The European Union is a concept, not a product. No one cared one hoot about Albert Einstein's theory of relativity until two Japanese cities were incinerated. Similarly, no one looks upon life assurance as a financial package but rather as a way to care for one's loved ones after they die. The problem Europe has in selling itself to the citizens of Ireland or the other 26 member states, lies in the fact that it is selling the sausage and not the sizzle. It tries to sell the concept rather than how it affects the people of this nation. Ever since the Pharisees in old Jerusalem, there has been a policy of playing on the ignorance and fear of the citizenry of new and innovative ideas. It is extraordinary that people really thought Lisbon had something to do with abortion or neutrality. As radio broadcasters, we heard from many people who voted on issues that were not in the treaty. The first failure was one of communication.
The question of how to sell a product is a crucial one for parliamentarians. Many young men from this island, from both sides of the religious divide, went to a war in 1914 from which many failed to return. They thought they were fighting for the freedom of little nations, defending the helpless Belgians against the dreaded Hun who was bayoneting babies and raping nuns. As we know, nothing was further from the truth and it remains the greatest exercise in killing of any generation.
The problem seems to be the methodology used in selling the treaty. Every analysis in the past decade of the citizenry's view of elected representatives shows that the profession lacks credibility. There have also been credibility issues for parish priests and medical consultants but they are not charged with pointing out the direction the country has to take. In marketing and sales terms, the product is being sold by people whose credibility is damaged before they go before the audience.
It is no coincidence that a black brew can be sold by a pop star or a sportsman. Marketing people use the fact that, for example, Ronan O'Gara wears a particular watch, because the citizen makes a connection between the sportsman and the product. We failed utterly in our attempts to convince people about Lisbon because of our failure to realise that fact. It is interesting that Bono can be pictured with the president of every major democracy on earth to save the starving and teeming millions of Darfur but we do not know what his view is on the Lisbon treaty. There is a belief that people like Bono do not pay taxes and so do not vote or have a view on the issue but, to engage the citizenry, we must use people to whom the citizenry already listens. Bono even helped Munster to beat New Zealand. It is extraordinary that we can beat New Zealand and save Africa's millions but cannot pass legislation which is crucial for the 4.5 million people who live here.
Irish people today can cross the Atlantic in five hours and eat a three-course meal on the way. They can sip water at their place of work and choose whether to drink still or sparkling. They can travel to their place of work on roadways undreamt of a few decades ago but the correlation between those activities and membership of the European Union has never been made. It is extraordinary to reflect that, had we not entered Europe, we might well live in a country which one of its founding fathers imagined, in which we travelled on asses and carts to a crossroads to watch comely maidens dance. The country has improved out of all recognition.
The people are uninformed about the Lisbon treaty and Europe as a whole and are not engaged in the issues, which is why this meeting is being held. The United Kingdom and, in more recent times, Ireland, has had a principle of public service broadcasting. For most of my life there was only one radio station which played sacred music on Good Friday and did not broadcast the spoken word. If a coup d’état was announced in this very building tomorrow we would tune into the national broadcaster to find out what was happening. As a result, there is a belief that only public service broadcasting exists. These Houses have attempted to treat all broadcasters as if they were in the public service but that is not the case around the globe.
It is not a coincidence that the other sector in the broadcasting space is known as the independent sector. The word "independent" is one we should treasure and be proud to bear because we do not get money from the licence fee. We are not just independent from a financial point of view, however, but are independent in terms of our views. Nobody knows how Pat Kenny votes or what his views on Europe are and that is as it should be. He is a public service broadcaster and plays devil's advocate in every interview he conducts, which is his role as part of the public service. However, the majority of people here now listen to stations that are not of the national broadcaster and it is wrong that those broadcasters are not allowed to have an opinion.
The belief that equal time should be allowed to each side of an argument and that an independent station should be even-handed is based on a failed principle. Any cross-section of broadcasters in Ireland, across Europe or around this table, would break down into sides that were pro or con. The elected representatives of the nation should not be afraid that broadcaster A or station A has an opinion contrary to their own.
The Lisbon treaty has been the greatest single failure of this elected body since we became an independent nation. It is extraordinary that even though representatives of between 80% and 90% of the voting public and all the major parties were as one as to what was right for the nation they could not persuade the citizenry to follow their view.
I am honoured to come before the sub-committee because it represents the view of people on this committee that there is a better way forward and that should be looked at as an opportunity. We are opinionated and members can be absolutely certain that, over the next 40 minutes, they will get an opinion.