Seanad debates

Thursday, 10 October 2002

Address by President of the European Parliament.

 

One of my heroes in Europe today is Vaclav Havel. I love his writings and his speeches and I have a signed copy of a book of his speeches. He is a wonderfully literate man. Mr. Havel addressed the European Parliament and spoke with great passion and skill about the need to give soul to Europe. Soul is found in values. It is not found in the dense detail surrounding qualified majority voting, etc. Mr. Havel has an idea which I believe is worth considering. He states that if one visits any American school, one will see a copy of the bill of rights hanging on the wall and he asks if there is something that connects an intelligent schoolchild in Europe with a basic notion of the nature of the EU? The answer is "No" not because the information is not available, but because it is lost in such dense detail and has not been simplified or made readily accessible.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.