I HAVE been in business for 20 years and I am at a loss to understand how anyone would want to make a rushed and ill- informed decision about their future. That is why I am calling on a vote on this week’s referendum.

I fundamentally disagree with the timing of this referendum, particularly at a time when Europe is under enormous strain.

Look at the market place right now – Spain is in turmoil with its banks, France is diametrically opposed to Germany and Greece is still evolving - and what about Germany? Merkel’s last stand is to make you and I vote for something which was drafted by her to keep the German voters happy. This treaty is Merkel’s insurance policy to make sure you and I keep paying the debts of reckless banking gamblers. Do we really want to do that?

Anyone in business seeking to survive needs to be on top of their game in order to battle through- form access to credit, to competitive markets. Many Irish companies have taken a place on the world stage as they compete and achieve results through passion and determination. How do they succeed? By implanting a smart decision making processes. Ignoring this leads to impaired decisions and consequent under- performance and lost opportunities. So if I’m going to make a decision with my business I make sure I have all the relevant information. I make sure that I know what my competitors are doing. I study the marketplace carefully. I analyse and then I act.

Now let’s apply those basic points to the forthcoming referendum- how on earth could anybody in business vote Yes at a time when Europe is undergoing a horrific transformation and an uncertain future?

Why should Ireland rush in and support the current model when other member states are sitting back waiting to decide? There have been huge levels of misinformation generated from the Yes side and I would go so far as to accuse the broadsheet newspapers of presenting a greatly unbalanced reportage of the campaign to date.

Let’s look at the facts: the French, the Germans and other EU countries are delaying ratification of the Treaty until the second part of its discussions are agreed upon the 28th June 2012 - three weeks after we are forced to vote. Why is our Government rushing us? They are asking the Irish people to make this decision without knowing the full facts.

The reason we cannot access money is because this Government and previous ones insisted on lumping us with impossible debt. Cut that debt and we are attractive to lend to again. Markets have lent to many countries which did partial defaults on debt. No amount of Treaties they come up with will solve that problem.

Many businesses go through periods where they spend more than they take in – that is why the lifeblood of business is easy access to credit.

The reason we cannot borrow from the markets is not because we’re running a deficit at the moment – it’s because we owe too much already. Why do we owe so much already? We owe it because as Minister Noonan stated the previous Government supported by Fine Gael– in a rush, and without all the facts – signed a bank guarantee that made all the banks debt ours. They didn’t know what they were doing because they did not have all the facts and as a result they landed us with debts in the hundreds of billions. The markets look at us and they say “no chance, sorry”.

A key fact that we all need to digest before casting our vote is what Enda Kenny said during his RTE election debate in 2011, “We are living for banks and existing for families." That is where Fianna Fáil has left us.” If we vote to enshrine this fiscal treaty onto our constitution as it stands, the yes campaign will be perpetuating that life for us the Irish People.

The choice is yours on Thursday next.

Patricia Tsouros is a Greek Irish businesswoman who has lived in Ireland for over 25 years.