SINN FÉIN ARDFHEIS:THE LISBON Treaty marks another step in the centralisation of political power in the EU, and marks the loss of the automatic right to appoint a commissioner, Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald told the opening session of the party's ardfheis at the RDS in Dublin last night.
"At a time when the EU is taking on a more extensive and ambitious political agenda, at a time when important issues like taxation are clearly in the commission sights, to agree to our exclusion for long periods from that commission table is reckless," she said.
Sinn Féin is the only political party in the Dáil to oppose the treaty.
Ms McDonald called for the Government to name the referendum date, and challenged Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche to "stop the name-calling and the nonsense and to come debate the facts of the treaty with us".
She was cheered when she said that "the Greens are silent on the fact that Lisbon breathes further life into Euratom, which supports and promotes nuclear energy".
Dutch Socialist Party MEP Erik Mayer, a key figure in the campaign against the EU constitution in 2004, said they supported peaceful co-operation between states.
Europe's role "is not to take over power to replace nation states by one super-state like the US".
He called on Irish people to vote No like millions of other Europeans would have only their governments were too afraid to let them vote. "Let victory for a better Europe start in Ireland."
Delegate Martin King said the argument that the EU had been good for Ireland "is in the past, while the EU treaty is about the future".
Mr King claimed the political parties in favour of the treaty had calculated that if they got their core voters out they would pass the treaty because they did not want a debate, which they could not win.
Áine Downes of Ógra Sinn Féin cited privatisation in education and healthcare in Ireland, and said it would increase.
"The EU treaty further erodes our military neutrality," she said.
"I will not be fooled by the weasel words of Irish politicians who can't even call the treaty by its proper name."
Noel Cassidy from Monaghan said that "our neutrality is deeply compromised and we need to reclaim it".
Tomás Ó Searcaigh from Louth said the county would be a focal point for the No campaign.
He pointed out that while in opposition the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, had described the Euratom treaty and its increased nuclear influence as an explosive point for the EU treaty.
