THE LEADER of the Labour Party, Eamon Gilmore TD, last night launched a strong attack on the Libertas group, which is campaigning for a No vote in the upcoming Lisbon Treaty.
Addressing a public meeting at Liberty Hall, he said it was "clear what Labour stands for and why we are promoting a Yes vote".
"But you cannot say that of Libertas. All we know about Libertas is that they are against the treaty. But we don't really know why. We don't know what kind of Europe Libertas actually want," he said.
"So far, all we have heard from Libertas is what they are against, and that would appear to be everything."
He claimed Libertas "constantly attack the treaty, and the EU, throwing up any kind of argument that they can muster against it".
"Is there any kind of treaty that they would support? What motivates their campaign?" he asked.
"The only semi-coherent thing you can say about Libertas is that they focus strongly on a "free market" agenda. They don't seem to believe that Europe is, or should be, anything other than an economic bloc."
Libertas had also failed to say how their campaign is being funded, Mr Gilmore added.
"There is no doubt that the campaign has money behind it. [ Libertas chairman Declan] Ganley has stated that Libertas will be spending approximately €1 million in campaigning for a No vote. Where is the money coming from?" he asked.
"It is time for Libertas to come clean on what is driving its agenda and where its money will come from."
Also addressing the meeting, which was organised by the Labour Party, Labour MEP Proinsias de Rossa, claimed the treaty would protect public services.
"The treaty makes considerable progress in the long-running campaign to achieve better protections for public services in the context of EU competition law," he said.
"Lisbon . . . gives us the instruments to guarantee that the future of public services is safe, provided national governments support them at home, and help progress the initiatives now possible with this treaty."