SEANAD REPORT:CATHAOIRLEACH PAT Moylan told Eugene Regan (FG) that he would prefer if the Libertas organisation was not accused in the House of lying about the effects of the Lisbon treaty.
Mr Moylan made the observation after Ronan Mullen (Ind) said that Mr Regan should withdraw an accusation he had made against the group campaigning for a No vote.
Mr Regan had earlier noted that the European Commission had confirmed his statement of last week that Ireland would continue to have a veto in relation to WTO round negotiations. The Irish Government had been slow to state whether it would use the veto.
Notwithstanding the commission's confirmation of the position, Declan Ganley's Libertas had claimed in a press release yesterday that the Government and the commission were lying on the issue.
He believed that this had to be faced head-on. This was an organisation that had lied about the position in relation to abortion and about the situation regarding the 12½ per cent corporation tax, despite the express wordings in the treaty. Now it was proceeding to lie about the position of agriculture and the WTO agreement. It was essential that when the Minister for Agriculture addressed the House today he dealt with this issue and particularly what position the Government was going to take in terms of exercising the veto.
A clear and unequivocal statement by the Minister would assist the farming organisation in clearing the air for farmers, added Mr Regan.
In a later intervention, Mr Mullen said he had a lot of respect for Mr Regan and he had no axe to grind for Libertas. But he felt it was wrong to use the word "lying", whether it was in the context of an individual or an organisation in the conduct of a referendum campaign, "and especially given that we are trying to have a rational and courteous debate on both sides. I would encourage Senator Regan to withdraw that."
The Cathaoirleach, Mr Moylan, said he had not heard the word used. "But if he did say it, he will apologise I would expect."
He asked Mr Regan to clarify what he had said.
Mr Regan said he had been quoting from the Libertas press release contending that the Government and the commission were lying over the WTO. "I am saying that if anyone was lying it is Libertas who have given out misinformation on abortion and on the 12½ per cent ." There were questions in relation to the sinister nature of this organisation, to judge by a report in The Irish Times yesterday. "Declan Ganley is in no position to interpret the Lisbon treaty for the Irish electorate."
Mr Mullin said that Mr Regan was speaking under parliamentary privilege and he should not descend to the level of organisations which he rightly castigated for using certain language.
Cathaoirleach: "He has outlined what he did say on that and to be honest, I would prefer if that word was not used."
Mr Regan responded that his use of the word had been provoked by the press release. "But we can talk about mis-information or misleading information. That was the essence of my statement."