Guarantees on Lisbon dismissed by McDonald

August 16, 2009 by Infowars Ireland

Sinn Féin vice-president Mary Lou McDonald with TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh at the launch in Dublin yesterday of the party's campaign in favour of a No vote in the forthcoming referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

www.irishtimes.com

SINN FÉIN vice-president Mary Lou McDonald has dismissed the legal guarantees on the Lisbon Treaty secured by the Irish Government from its EU partners as nothing more than a series of clarifications.

Speaking in Dublin at the launch of her party’s campaign for a No vote in the forthcoming referendum, she said the guarantees did not alter the text of the treaty in any way, or change the impact it would have on Ireland.

“Almost 1,000,000 people, or 53 per cent of the electorate rejected the Lisbon Treaty on June 12th, 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,” she said.

Ms McDonald said the guarantees secured at the European Council meeting in June were 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,” she said.

Ms McDonald said those consequences included the erosion of Irish neutrality, the weakening of Ireland’s position in Europe, the militarisation of Europe and much, much more.

“After the last referendum Sinn Féin presented the Government with a detailed series of proposals for a better deal for Ireland and the EU. Our proposals aimed to create a more democratic, equal, just and peaceful EU with protocols on Irish neutrality and tax sovereignty, a strengthened social clause, the retention of a permanent commissioner for all member states and the removal of the self-amending clauses. The Government’s guarantees do not address any of these issues,” she said. Read full article…