Sinn Fein Councillor Kathleen Funchion has called on the electorate in Kilkenny to once again vote no to Lisbon.
Speaking at the launch of the No Campaign by Sinn Fein, Cllr Funchion said the Kilkenny public is being asked to vote once again on the very same treaty that they rejected last year.
She accused the Government of wasting the mandate that it was given last year to secure a better treaty for Ireland. She said guarantees secured by the Government do not alter the text of the treaty in any way or change the impact it will have on Ireland.
“Almost 1,000,000 people, or 53 per cent of the electorate rejected the Lisbon Treaty on June 12, 2008. People voted for a better deal for Ireland and Europe. The result presented the Irish government with a strong mandate to go to the European Council and negotiate a better Treaty for Ireland and Europe. The Government wasted that mandate.
“The Government and the Yes side are claiming that the so called legally binding guarantees secured at the European Council meeting in June have addressed the concerns of the Irish people about this Treaty. These ‘guarantees’ are nothing more than a series of clarifications of some aspects of the Lisbon Treaty. They do not alter the text of the treaty in any way nor do they change the impact that the treaty will have on Ireland and the EU. Their legal status is irrelevant. On October 2nd we will be voting on exactly the same treaty with exactly the same consequences for Ireland and the EU, as we did last year.
“These consequences include the erosion of Irish neutrality, the weakening of Ireland’s position in Europe, the loss of the Irish Commissioner, the erosion of workers’ rights and public services, the loss of an automatic right to a referendum on future treaty changes, continued participation in the European Atomic Energy Community, advancing the cause of tax harmonisation, the promotion of common foreign and defence policies and the militarisation of Europe and much, much more.
“The Government’s guarantees do not address any of these issues,” she concluded.
