The second Lisbon referendum in Ireland

Tuesday, 8th September 2009, 7pm

1090 Vienna, Kolpinghaus Alsergrund
Liechtensteinstraße (U4/U6 Spittelau, Linie D, 38 und U6 Nußdorferstraße)

Des Dalton, Kildare (Ireland)
(Vice-President Republican Sinn Féin)

The No-Campaign in Ireland

Univ. Prof. Dr. Karl Albrecht Schachtschneider, Nürnberg (Germany)

What do the „Irish Guarantees“ really mean?
Are there any consequences of the judgment of the German Federal Constitutional Court?

Dr. Eva Maria Barki, Vienna (Austria)
(Solicitor, Expert in Nationality and Ethnic Law)

On the right to self-determination

Presentation: Inge Rauscher

Farmers' Group calls for Debate on Lisbon

A GROUP of farmers launched a campaign for a No vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum on October 2. Farmers for No is comprised of former county chairmen and current members of the Irish Farmers' Association

James Reynolds, chairperson of the organisation, which represents around 50 farmers, said it was time that the IFA adopted a democratic approach to issues like the Lisbon Treaty. He said what has happened to date is that the IFA were 'told by Government or told by policy makers in Brussels in the Commission to take this particular line' and debate on the issue was denied.

He said a Millward Brown survey following last year's referendum showed 48% of farmers voted against Lisbon. He said opinion is divided among farmers on the Lisbon Treaty and the IFA is not speaking for all farmers and he has called for a debate on this within the farming community.

Earlier, 26-County Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said that the Dublin government believes that voting Yes in the Lisbon Treaty referendum will contribute to Ireland's economic recovery.

On RTÉ's News At One, Micheál Martin said the Dublin government (sic) wants to provide comprehensive information about the guarantees Ireland has won from its European colleagues on the key issues of concern during the last referendum. He said they had binding legal guarantees from EU leaders that Lisbon would not affect Irish policies on military neutrality, taxes and the right to life and he said there would be no loss of an Irish EU Commissioner.

Earlier, Intel Ireland's General Manager said voting Yes to Lisbon would maintain Ireland's attractiveness to multi-national investors. Jim O'Hara said US multi-nationals and international investors have viewed Ireland as playing a central role in Europe and it is one of the reasons why they have invested here.

IWU urge all Taxi Drivers to Vote No

ON August 12, the Taxi Drivers Branch of the Independent Workers Union issued a statement urging all their members and all taxi drivers to vote No in the upcoming referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

“This treaty is the exact same treaty we rejected only a year ago. The guarantees are not legally binding, only promises that they will be introduced at some unknown future date.

“Most importantly, the treaty furthers the free market values that amount to a race to the bottom for taxi drivers. The competition organised by the regulator has resulted in our members having to work 70 hours a week to get a living wage. This is forcing driver to work against driver while lowering wages and working conditions to rock bottom.

“The treaty is nine years old and out of date. It enshrines the failed economic policies that led to the current global recession. The cosy circle of politicians, bankers and developers who caused this crisis now expects ordinary working people to pay for their failures.

“With all this in mind, we are urging all taxi drivers to organise their voice and send a clear message to the taxi regulator, Kathleen Doyle and Government Minister Dempsey and reject the Lisbon Treaty.”

War, Nato, Intel and the Lisbon Treaty

THE Chair of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, Roger Cole called on Jim O'Hara, CEO of INTEL on August 21 to a public debate on the militarisation of the EU.

"Intel as a company that manufactures chips that have a military application has stated that it intends to spend hundreds of thousands of Euros advocating a yes vote to a treaty the people have already rejected. At the same time its CEO when asked about the militarisation of the EU answers that he had, "no particular view on that". Well he would, won't he.

“The fact is the TSN/mrbi polls in May and June 2008 held before the vote last year showed that one of the main reasons why the Irish people voted no was because they were concerned about Irish neutrality. In view of the massive acceleration of the process of the militarisation of the EU that will occur as a consequence of the Lisbon Treaty (see the PANA document Irish Independence or European Superstate on www.pana.ie).

“It is just not good enough for a company that manufacutures product used in war to say its going to spend massive amounts of money advocating support for a treaty that states its about "revitalising NATO" and say it has no view on the issue. As the NATO wars expand ever further he should agree to a public debate on the issue and as the Chair of PANA that since 1996 has opposed Ireland's integration into the EU/US/NATO military structures I now call upon him to agree to do so."

Pro-EU Propaganda in Cinemas Condemned

THE screening of pro-EU adverts in cinemas has been criticised as a blatant example of pressurising people into voting yes on the same Lisbon Treaty which was rejected by voters in the 26-Counties. A spokesman for Republican Sinn Féin said that they are also clearly demographically aimed at youth, where a high percentage voted against the tightening of the EU's grip.

“These talktoeu.ie advertisements claim that the cinema seats are comfortable and confectionery is safe because of the European Union. One of them also claims that you don't have to change currency any more because of the Euro. Evidently they are blissfully unaware that there are two currencies in existence within this country alone.

“This type of brainwashing and re-education by the yes side is sinister and flies in the face of a free choice on the 2nd October. Thankfully the ads are that laughable that few are likely to be convinced by them.”

No to Lisbon!

Republican Sinn Féin to campaign for No to Lisbon

VICE President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton issued a statement on August 20 calling for a No vote in the re-run of the Lisbon Treaty.

“Despite their rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum in June 2008 a second referendum is being foisted on the people of the 26 Counties. On Friday October 2 the people will be asked to vote again on the same Treaty they said NO to last year.

“Republican Sinn Féin will again actively campaign for the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. Based on the platform of defending democracy, sovereignty and neutrality..

“Republican Sinn Féin takes as our touchstone the democratic principles of the 1916
Proclamation and we view the idea of a militarised and undemocratic EU States of Europe as a subversion of those principles. Stand up for the rights of workers, oppose EU militarisation and imperialism vote No to Lisbon II”.

Vote No to Lisbon no.2

REPUBLICAN Sinn Féin calls on the people of Ireland to Vote No in October to the second Lisbon Treaty, according to a statement issued by Peter Fitzsimons, PRO Comhairle Laighean.

He continued: “In 2008 the Irish people voted against the Lisbon Treaty, and expressed their wishes at the ballot box.

“In return Fianna Fáil ignored the wishes of the Irish people, and used the economic slump as a scare tactic to get the Yes vote that Europe is looking for.

“There is no change to this original treaty, which if passed will have a direct effect on Irelands democracy, neutrality and sovereignty.

“Republican Sinn Féin calls on the people of Ireland to Vote No in October. The Irish people have made their decision and it must remain that way”, he concluded.

Irish Media get new Rules for Lisbon Treaty Coverage

NEW guidelines for Irish media to cover the Lisbon Treaty referendum took effect at noon Friday August 6.

Announced by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI), the new guidelines clarify that there is no requirement to allocate an absolute equality of airtime to opposing sides of the referendum debate during editorial coverage.

The guidelines cover "commercial, community, institutional and temporary broadcasters," but do not mention the internet. The proportion of airtime allocated to opposing sides must however "be fair to all interests and undertaken in a transparent manner."

The Irish are to vote on the Lisbon treaty for a second time on 2 October, after a majority rejected the document in a referendum 12 June 2008.

In previous referendum campaigns public broadcasters were obliged to give equal coverage of both the Yes and the No campaigns, after a former professor at Trinity College, Anthony Coughlan, made a complaint at Irish courts in June 1997 over unbalanced media coverage by the public broadcaster RTE, which gave 42.5 minutes coverage to the yes-camp and 10 minutes to the no-camp in a referendum on divorce.

The BCI has also announced a black-out on Lisbon treaty media coverage from the morning of the 1 October until polls close on 2 October.

During this period broadcast output must not include “material which relates directly to the content of the Treaty of Lisbon and/or the constitutional amendments associated with the Treaty”.

The new guidelines cover “commercial, community, institutional and temporary broadcasters”, but do not mention the Internet.

The outcome of the Irish referendum will be eagerly awaited in the rest of Europe, with the text to create important new posts in the EU hierarchy, give more voting power to large EU states, reduce the scope of national vetoes’ and give more law- making responsibility to MEPs.

The influence of the national parliament has been a key-concern in Germany, with the country's highest court on 30 June deciding that the Lisbon treaty can only be ratified if the national parliament's role is first strengthened.

The constitutional case was brought by CSU MP Peter Gauweiler and the left party, Die Linke.

The 147 page-long ruling suspended the ratification process of the treaty until the new provisions requested by the court come into force.

The Christian Democratic parties are internally split on how far-reaching powers the German parliament should have over EU lawmaking, with the Bavarian CSU faction of the party being the most keen to curb Brussels.

Negotiations among the political parties in Germany began this week on how to implement the court decision, with agreement on 90 percent of the text already reached, according to German media reports.

Time is short for Berlin as the German parliament will soon be dissolved due to general elections on 27 September.

In a late move Franz Ludwig Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (71) has announced a new complaint at the courts, should the German parliament not implement the Lisbon Treaty in a proper way, securing the position of German parliamentary democracy in the European decision making structures.

“The possibility for co-determination for the parliament (Bundestag) and the federal council (Bundesrat) in Brussels must clearly be improved. The parliament has not taken it self seriously enough,” he explained the Berliner Morgenpost.

The former MEP for the CSU party is the son of famous Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, one of the leading Germany army officers of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to kill German dictator Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi Party from power in World War II Germany.

The German revolt against the Lisbon Treaty goes deep into the political establishment, with Mr Stauffenberg also being the uncle of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Federal Minister for Economics and Technology in the cabinet of Angela Merkel.

A vote in the German parliament is scheduled for September 8.

Press Statement from the Peace & Neutrality Alliance

ONE the good things that can be said of the Irish Times is that they publish articles that put forward different perspectives, one of which was that by Dan O'Brien, a senior editor of the Economist Intelligence Unit (4/8/09).

He clearly does not approve of the Irish people's unwillingness to join NATO, a nuclear armed military alliance, committed to use nuclear weapons as a first strike weapon. It is interesting that the Irish Times decided to publish the article just before the 6th of August which marks the anniversary of the decision of the US, which dominates NATO, to drop a nuclear weapon on Hiroshima.

That the EU Parliament decided to mark its opening session by ensuring that the Eurocorps, a military force dedicated to serving the interests of the EU and NATO is a very clear signal that the EU elite want to make the link between the EU and NATO stronger which is of course one of the key reasons why the Peace & Neutrality Alliance campaigned against the Lisbon Treaty and will again be doing so for exactly the same reasons because of course the treaty is exactly the same.

Most (but not all) the articles so far published by the Irish Times that refer to the Lisbon Treaty put forward a case for voting yes. On behalf of PANA therefore I would like to congratulate them on publishing an article that provides an overwhelming and irrefutable case for voting NO to the Lisbon Treaty on the October 2.