Lisbon: Let's Make it About Europe

On the radio, there's a lot of talk about the referendum to ratify the Lisbon treaty. According to the pundits (who are usually right for the wrong reasons, or wrong for the right ones), the people will be 'sending a message' to the government. Barnardos don't want the referendum held on the same day as the so called 'children's rights' referendum for fear that the message to the government is so strong that it will overflow rejection of an EU question and also become the rejection of fundamental rights for children. What the hell is going on?
First, this Irish obsession with 'sending messages' through the ballot box has finally hit the absurd. A general election was held last year. Some would believe that the most opportune time to let a government know you felt they weren't up to task. There were some barriers to this though. For one thing, the lack of an actual alternative to vote into power. If people are as sick as they say they are (and here lies one trap - believing what you see in the papers and hear on radio), they might have given the other fellows a go. I mean, they couldn't be that much worse, could they?
We are now at the point where the government, voted in once again, has once again fallen out of favour with the electorate. And so, once again, the electorate will 'punish' the government by rejecting a European treaty.
What has Europe ever done for us? Alright, apart from the direct investment, protection of workers, laws relating to quality, health and safety, etc. The Life of Brian jokes aside, it does seem more sensible to reject the concept of 'fundamental human rights for children' out of hand before we reject an ambitious political concept and programme out of hand.
Why? Well, first of all 'fundamental human rights' for children is absurd. They have them already, as humans. To enshrine 'fundamental human rights' for children is tantamount to rejecting the idea that others might have equal rights because they have not been enshrined (for women, for minorities, for men, for teenagers...). It has Kafka written all over it, but protection of all people from those that would harm them seems an important concept to me, children or no.
Then, there's the point about Europe. Irish people spend a lot of time, column inches and radio minutes whingeing about Europe and what 'they over there' are doing over here. However, no one wants to actually learn about what 'they over there' do.
Ireland as a nation has benefited from Europe, but this isn't the only reason we should take an interest. There's also the fact that so many decisions are becoming centralised. For better or worse, this is the way it is. So, if you want a say about Europe, this is the time to be heard. But, will you be talking about Europe, or about a government that you feel impoverished of Ethical capital, imagination, or whatever?
Ironically, if people actually read the treaty this time, and make a truly informed decision, and still decides No, it will probably still be reported as the electorate 'sending a message' to the government.