MAYO SHOULD VOTE YES

 

Its time to draw a line and end the lies being circulated against the Lisbon Treaty according to Cllr Keith Martin of the Labour Party. 

 

"Lisbon is not about surrendering sovereignty but is about ensuring that the EU is run more fairly, efficiently and democratically.  This should be clear to anyone who has taken the time to read the independent booklet from the Referendum Commission which has been delivered to every address in the country" says Cllr Martin.

 

"In fact, the sovereignty implications of the Lisbon Treaty are so minimal that Declan Walsh, Lecturer of EU Law at University College Cork, is of the opinion that there might be no legal requirement for a Referendum in the first place.

 

In his pastoral reflection on behalf of the Irish Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin said 'Those who seek to influence the outcome of the referendum either by offering misleading or patently incorrect advice or by introducing extraneous factors into the debate, ought to be condemned.'

 

This statement is widely accepted to be a condemnation of those who have misleadingly used the issues of abortion and euthanasia to stir up a rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.

 

The Director of Irish Business and Employers Confederation's (IBEC) EU and International Affairs Brendan Butler said that from a business perspective the Lisbon Treaty is 'a complete no-brainer' and that the 'Irish economy has been a major beneficiary of membership of the EU and the Lisbon Treaty will further support Irish business and jobs.'

 

While one could argue that the use of Shannon by US forces compromises our neutrality on a daily basis, by contrast, the Lisbon Treaty does not affect our neutrality.  Any action, including peacekeeping, by the EU must be by unanimous consent of all 27 nations and participation in such action is purely voluntary.

 

We have nothing to fear from Lisbon; indeed we have much to gain.  The Lisbon Treaty includes a Charter of Fundamental Rights which ensure among many other things that in all 27 countries there is a right to life and an end to the death penalty, a right to privacy, children's rights, rights of the elderly and disabled, the right to an education among many other important social and legal rights.

 

Finally, I think it is important to remember who is opposed to the Lisbon Treaty, i.e. Sinn Fein, Youth Defence and Libertas.  This unlikely coalition do not even share a common interest never mind the public's best interest.  On the other hand Labour, Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Progressive Democrats, ICTU, IBEC are all calling for a YES vote. 

 

I am urging a YES vote on June 12^th."