Galway Advertiser 1979/1979_05_24/GA_24051979_E1_015.pdf 

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his own inimitable

style-challenges

O'GORMAN'S
values of the West of STATIONERY AND BOOKSHOP

Ireland.

will open ALL DAY MONDAYS from next week
T o mark the occasion there will be a

The "Valuable" Candidates
To write about the pipe-dream of the idealists corning European elections, like Coudenhove-Kalergi, Briand, Schuman, de Gasfrom the viewpoint of culture and tradition, as an peri, Monnet, Adenauer, Spaak, and/or Spinelli individual involved in the come true in a unified or disciplines of sociology and federal State called Europe. political science, and a It does not seem very likely committed Christian, such is my brief. And brief the for some years. But it contains, as a possibility, an contribution has to be. obvious problem. Such a THE POOR development implies more PARLIAMENT loss of sovereignty on the Most people feel weary of national level than many can the repetition of the words stomach. And yet the days Commission, Court and of nations with high and Parliament in the context impenetrable enclosureof the "united Europe." walls around them, imper Everyone knows that the vious to all outside power three institutions have more and influence, have already or less descending levels of passed. One must concede power and authority. They the loss of some sovereignty know that the Parliament to live today. It is a matter of has up to now been largely a how much. It seems certain discussion forum, with very that the new Parliament, so strictly limited power to much bigger than the old, make decisions, though it and directly elected by the CAN in fact sack the people, is bound to increase Commissioners as a body its influence. Ideas have a and have them replaced, way of moving mountains. and it has considerable INTERNATIONAL influence on budgets and CO-OPERATION therefore on the Regional The need for international Fund and on the price co-operation, in almost all supports already discussd fields of government, has by Dr. Cuddy. It may be the been felt generally, even view of some people that it is outside Europe, since the useless to bother about the second world war. Inter Parliament, and there exists national organisations were an anti-EEC badge, to be not created by starry-eyed worn on the lapels of people idealists in order to give with a sense of black effect to their dreams; they humour: D O N ' T VOTE: were set up by realistic I T ONLY ENCOURAGES governments (notoriously THEM. reluctant to spend money While respecting the without good cause) to meet right of people not to vote, I practical needs. These think it rather resembles the needs result from the behaviour of the ostrich at complex nature of our the ostrich conference in the civilisation. International Australian desert. One co-operation is clearly delegate was late and the needed to have a postal others were standing around service. Similarly many waiting for him to arrive. other facets of a govern Then there came to their ment's responsibility to its frightened ears the sound of people today (standard of an approaching flap. They living, markets, employ all stuck their heads in the ment, defence, shared sand, thus, in their belief values as expressed in become invisible, and hop institutions and laws) now ing that the danger would depend, in large measure, pass them by. But it was the on events taking place missing ostrich in a hurry. beyond its own frontiers, He skidded to a stop at the and over which it has little rendezvous, and socialized or no control. Joint action is to ostrich thinking, he asked called for. All of this has himself in surprise "Where important repercussions on on earth is everybody?" our value system, and on One has to stand up and our culture. Contact may be counted unless one wants stimulate us to a cultural the march of social and resurrection, or we may political development to become intolerable con formists to a commonovertake one without any account being taken of one's denominator or lowest common multiple kind of personal views. pan-europeanism. A nation SOVEREIGNTY or State can contribute Irish people may well ask, more if it acts from a base of and especially in the West, honest self-awareness and where this election is going self-confidence. Have we to leave us all. Will we be as already lost this? we were before? The answer to the second question is no because change is part of O U R VALUES existence. The answer to the We have, perhaps especi first lies in the kind of ally in t h e C o n n a c h t people that we elect and in constituency, with our the way in which they can heritage of language and make their expression of loyalty to Christian values, view be accepted. It is as well as a long history of possible that the new shared impoverishment, a Parliament may acquire somewhat more unified and more powers in time. Two integrated culture to defend of our Irish parties would than even the rest of like to prevent this happen Ireland. Our values are ing, the third, Fine Gael, special to the West as well as would approve of it. It is Irish. Regional policy in the just possible that we may sec EEC has been developing in time the realisation of the more slowly than antici pated. In pushing for its faster development, it is vitally important that our representatives be the kind of people that will really understand the West-- know the facts of our history and culture, appreciate and share our roots in language and sign and symbol. They must set store by the beliefs and convictions of our people and be ready to defend them as genuinely worthy of defence, though they must also be eminently tolerant of people and nations with other tradi tions. Our representatives must be prepared to stand up and be counted. They must be prepared in know ledge and political skill and not just eager to go to Europe. They must know their Europe and not be awed by it. They must know how to use the lobbying process in the Parliament and in Committee memberships that will fall to them if they are capable enough t o handle them. But they must also be people who have proved that they under stand the meaning of the Christian culture of the West of Ireland, who appreciate its sensitivity and delicacy as well as its enormous strength, and who will defend it. STANDING A L O N E They will then approach discussion and debate with the representatives of quite different value systems with footholds firmly planted in their own soil. In spite of small numbers, some Irish representatives--from all parties-- have already proven that there are among Irishmen talents that are vital to our cultural as well as our economic survival. The person who is himself confused, or complexed in the face of what can prove tough opposition on many issues, or who does not know himself as an Irishman who is proud to be one, has no place worth talking about in the halls of Strasburg or Luxembourg. The courage of a young student in Dublin recently who led a protest against the abortion lobby, and pleaded for the support of forgive ness and love for the young unmarried girl who is pregnant and tempted to seek that horrible and " e a s y " way o u t , was admirable. He was firmly planted in the Christian and Irish tradition at it s best, of careforthe young and for the under-privileged and the old. To be a representa tive of our cultural tradition, and a true one, a man may well need to be able to tolerate, as he did, a great loneliness. But Everest was never climbed by people who were afraid to stand alone. EDMUND DOUGAN, O.F.M., Ph.D., Lie. en Sea. Pol. et Soc. (Loovaia) Professor o f Political Science and Sociology, U.CG.

B O O K SALE
OF P U B L I S H E R S ' O V E R S T O C K S

100'S CHILDREN'S AND ADULTS' BOOKS in mint condition selling at HALF PRICE--and many even less.
"The early bird gets the best choice"

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W8 3fi

Sale begins 10.30 a.m. next Monday, May 28th
STATIONERY in AND of BOOKSHOP Galway

m O'GORMAN'S
the Heart

If

I

The historic Mayoralty House is now the official head offices of LydonHouse. Some management and staff and pictured above with the Mayor of Galway John Francis King when the building was officially taken over by LydonHouse last week.

Second-Hand Rose"
A NEW BOUTIQUE For second-hand clothes in perfect condition. Good as new. Ladies and Childrens. All sizes. Also Communion Dresses and Boys Jackets. Over THE GOLDEN PHEASANT (ex Genoa Bar) Church Street entrance. Open 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. Friday 9 p.m. Phone 63319 after 6 p.m.

MARKETING INSTITUTE MOVES WEST
On Friday June 8th the National Council of the Marketing Institute of Ireland, at the invitation of the Galway Regional Branch, will for the first time hold their monthly meeting in Galway. Here-to-fore such meetings were held exclusively in Dublin. In conjunction with this occasion the Regional Committee have arranged a special function that evening in the Quadrangle Building, University College, Galway.