l over the world.The EU rapid reaction military force has quickly taken shape, and Ireland will be a full participant in this exercise. This will provide an ongoing upgrading of our defence force capacity, something that should have been done years ago.Although there are many advantages to Irish membership of the EU, there are as many arguments to the contrary, dealing with the same key areas:EconomicalPoliticalSocialEconomicalDisadvantages from an economic aspect include policies affecting such areas as fishing, where restrictions and quotas could stop Irish fishermen being able to trawl to the best of their ability, thus reducing the amount of revenue gained from this sector.It is evident that our country has benefited greatly from EU grants by way of road upgrading and farming subsidies but this decade will see Ireland will move from being a net recipient to being a net contributor. The EU has made an investment in this country and its economy and now quite rightly expects a return on said investment. We will see cohesion and structural funds disappear as a consequence of our increasing wealth. The European Central BankPoliticalPotential disadvantages from a political aspect are that Ireland will no longer be considered a neutral republic, and will be required to comply with whatever decisions are made by the EU for the good of the community, even if this takes our country into war.The removal of borders will make it easier for people to do business between member states, but there are some forms of business that are unwanted such as drugs and smuggling. Some argue that removing these borders only facilitates the moving of such illegal activities.The EU has the main decision-making power for the benefit of the community as a whole, and any steps taken outside the set guidelines will not be tolerated. We were served a reminder of this recently as our own Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy unveiled his plans for the budget, showing ...
