REPUBLICAN SINN FÉIN:THE LISBON Treaty would lead to the creation of a "united states of Europe'', Republican Sinn Féin president Ruairí Ó Bradaigh warned yesterday.
He accused those on the Yes side of ignoring the issue.
“If people grasped the core of the whole question, they would be much more likely to vote No to Lisbon.’’ Lisbon meant more power to Brussels and less power to Ireland.
Mr Ó Bradaigh was speaking at a Dublin press conference where his party called for a No vote.
He claimed the treaty would radically shift control of the EU towards the big states by basing its law-making primarily on population size. “The right to veto harmful measures in more than 50 areas of policy will be lost. The arrangements proposed add up to a power-grab by the big states and the Brussels bureaucracy.’’
Prof K A Schachtschneider of the University of Nuremberg in Germany claimed the treaty was incompatible with the Irish Constitution. He said the referendum provided the Irish people with a last chance to defend freedom, equality, fraternity, democracy, the rule of law and social welfare provisions for all people in the EU.
“Without an Irish No, all people in Europe face exploitation, war and injustice. The Irish have the opportunity to save human dignity in Europe.’’
