Dear Editor,
I am a European citizen from France, living in Galway for over two years. Obviously, as a foreigner, I will not be given a chance to vote on the referendum.

This problem of non-representation on the most significant vote about the EU will actually happen to all foreigners, not only in Galway but in the whole of Ireland; not only in Ireland but in all Europe. In the end, I don't belong to a minority but a very large majority (of 491.5 million Europeans) who will be silenced by the EU Commission, with their own governments denying their right to vote.

As Sarkozy (the president of the French government) said himself: 'There will be no treaty if we had a referendum in France.'

Indeed, when the French and Dutch were asked their opinion in 2005 on the European Constitution, they rejected it, after months discussing, debating, questioning and eventually voting 'no' to the directions dictated by the European elite, after a non-democratic elaboration.

Three years later in Ireland, the reality is worrying. The content of the Lisbon Treaty is attacking the rights and freedoms of States and individuals on the same three aspects in an even less understandable text.

Firstly, the Treaty demands an increase of military spending from Ireland and every single member-State, a common foreign and security policy (reinforcing NATO members' interests, ending Ireland's official 'neutrality').

The second major direction is the opening of many national public services to 'free and non-opposable competition', meaning privatisation and deregulation of workers' rights, not only in Europe but also overseas, where European corporations will be legally permitted to exploit Third World workers and rip off their resources.

Last, but not least, the new legal structure of the EU will standardise rights 'in the general interest of the Union' rather than defending the individual. On the Irish sovereignty as a nation, it means handing out the sovereignty to an unelected Commission, to be the only law-making body, where the Irish people will be represented by their Commissioner two third of the time i.e. only 10 out of 15 years!