CAMPAIGN LAUNCH - Referendum CommissionIRELAND'S MILITARY neutrality will not be affected if the Lisbon Treaty is passed in next month's plebiscite, the Referendum Commission has said.
Launching its €5 million information campaign in Dublin yesterday, chairman Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill said it was not its role to engage with protagonists on either side of the debate.
However, when asked about the treaty's implications for Irish neutrality, he said it was the body's "considered view" that Ireland's position on neutrality "is not altered".
Some opponents of the treaty have argued that its "solidarity" clause is characteristic of a military pact and could threaten Ireland's neutral stance. Under the clause, member states are obliged to assist each other if one is the victim of a terrorist attack or a natural or man-made disaster. The details of this co-operation would have to be agreed unanimously by the European Council.
Summarising the main changes proposed in the treaty, Mr Justice O'Neill told journalists that decisions in the areas of taxation and defence would continue to be taken unanimously.
The commission yesterday began distributing over two million copies of its explanatory handbook to voters' homes throughout the State. The booklet, which is published in English and Irish under the same cover, provides an impartial summary of the main provisions of the treaty.
An extensive advertising campaign on radio, television, in newspapers, online and outdoors also began yesterday. In order to reach younger voters, the commission has developed a range of online ads on social networking websites such as Bebo and Facebook and has also created a video on YouTube which will be available midway through the campaign.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Justice O'Neill said the advertising had a consistent theme, which was: "If you do not inform yourself, you will not have the complete picture. And the way to get the complete picture is to read our material."
He said the handbook did not cover all aspects of each provision of the treaty, but did cover what the commission felt were the main provisions.
"The information booklet is a distillation of the changes that the treaty will bring about. One can't include every single nuance . . . but we feel that we have encapsulated all the essential provisions included in it."
While it was not the commission's function to take part in public debate or engage with protagonists from either side of the debate, he said it may issue clarifying statements if it deems it necessary.
As polling day comes near, the message of the campaign will shift somewhat to encouraging people to come out and vote.
"In just over four weeks Ireland will vote in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty," Mr Justice O'Neill continued. "I hope that in those four weeks the Irish people will engage with our campaign, take whatever time they can afford to inform themselves, and then vote on June 12th."
Further information is available on the commission's website at www.lisbontreaty2008.ie
