From the New York Times' editorial on Ireland's rejection of the (Not So) Nice Treaty:
u201C…the Irish vote should remind Europe's leaders that they need to do a better job of selling the benefits of further integration. Otherwise, voters will reclaim their nations' sovereignty with a vengeance.u201D
u201CReclaim,u201D now that's a curious usage. Its definitions include u201Cto recall from wrong or improper conduct,u201D u201Cto rescue from an undesirable state,u201D and u201Cto regain possession of.u201D If Irish voters may reclaim Ireland's sovereignty, then that implies Ireland's sovereignty is currently compromised.
The Times is right: Irish sovereignty is in a precarious condition. A historically beleaguered country to begin with, Ireland now faces hegemony by a supra-national Leviathan seeking to internationalize a statist slew, coupled with a domestic leadership complicit in the Leviathan's objective.
Ireland's rejection of the (Not So) Nice Treaty attests its obstinacy against imperial ambition. The Emerald Isle's not going to let a bunch of alien bureaucrats dictate its political destiny.
Clearly, the New York Times supports European u201Cintegrationu201D; yet its usage reflects cognizance of what that pernicious project entails.
A people cannot reclaim what is already theirs, and insofar as the Times has identified Ireland's crisis of autonomy, we owe it our thanks. (Smile.)
June 15, 2001
