FIANNA FÁIL:TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has described the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty as a "defining moment in this country's destiny". Speaking at the launch of Tom Garvin's Judging Lemass yesterday, Mr Cowen said "Ireland's future success will flow from reaffirming our commitment to the European Union.
“In an ever more competitive global environment, it is imperative we don’t give the impression that we are turning our back on Europe and the policies that have served us so well. It is an irrefutable fact that every time Ireland has voted to support the development of the EU, our country has benefited.In order for Ireland to remain at Europe’s heart and protect our hard won gains at a time of world economic uncertainty, I believe this country must ratify the Lisbon Treaty.”
Mr Cowen said former taoiseach Seán Lemass had made resolute efforts to bring Ireland into the European Union but the State’s initial application was ultimately vetoed by French president Gen Charles de Gaulle in 1963.
“This was the greatest disappointment of Lemass’s career,” said Mr Cowen, adding that the then taoiseach had made a compelling case that the country would be stronger working with Europe.
Mr Cowen said that future progress was now in the scales just as it was back in the 1960s when Lemass made the choice to set the country en route towards Europe.
“We too must make the right choice. The road we choose will not only determine the shape of our economy but define our place in the wider world and the destiny of this generation and our children’s generation for years to come. It is that fundamental,” he said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin accused anti-Lisbon campaigners of making “ridiculous” claims in relation to the EU guarantees secured after the treaty was rejected last year.
At a Fianna Fáil news conference in Dublin yesterday, Mr Martin recalled that in the first Lisbon referendum, “every lamppost in the this country had a poster from one of the No campaigns calling on people to vote No to save a commissioner”.
A Yes vote on Friday would guarantee “the continuation of our automatic right to a commissioner”. This and other assurances represented “the most significant set of guarantees which have ever been given to a member state”.
The Minister said that, in response to these guarantees, “the anti-EU campaigns have been reduced to saying that they are worthless. They are directly claiming that there is some form of anti-Irish conspiracy going on, where 26 other states have given guarantees which they intend to dishonour. This is ridiculous, but people deserve to know why they should trust these guarantees.”
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said the referendum was “not a vote about the past but about the future for this country. A lot of detail has been provided behind the economic case for a Yes vote but it is probably very easily summarised: it’s about confidence, it’s about influence and reform. In relation to confidence, it has been confirmed time and time again that a No vote will damage investor confidence in the future direction of Ireland – while a Yes vote will support that confidence”, Mr Dempsey said.
Asked about the Fás controversy, Mr Martin said: “Clearly there is a lot of anger out there [but] people are distinguishing between the domestic political situation and the Lisbon Treaty itself.”