Higgins hits out over vote blackmail campaign
Tuesday September 29 2009
SOCIALIST MEP Joe Higgins last night accused the Government of blackmailing and terrifying Irish people into voting 'Yes' in Friday's referendum for reasons that had nothing to do with the Lisbon Treaty.
Despite the final referendum poll showing a two-to-one majority for the 'Yes' side, Mr Higgins is refusing to concede defeat. The MEP said the campaign so far had been dishonest, undemocratic and unequal.
"The whole debate has been overshadowed by Government and 'Yes' side assertions with regard to the economic crisis," he said.
Mr Higgins added that the Government's strategy is to link a 'Yes' vote to economic recovery and jobs. If that tactic failed to work, he said, there was then talk of dire consequences and isolation in Europe. A flight of capital had even been mentioned if people vote 'No', the MEP said.
In one of a series of press conferences hosted by the Socialist Party, Mr Higgins hit out at the "right-wing establishment in Brussels". He claimed that punishment for a 'No' vote on Friday would amount to further blackmail by the EU.
"The European Union is founded on values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Is this a lie, that freedom and democracy are not valued? They are, in fact, subjecting us to blackmail which is what that would imply," Mr Higgins said.
Mr Higgins said he wanted to engage the 'Yes' side in a debate about workers' rights, neutrality and the privatisation of public services.
He said the EU was already working on an agenda to open health and education to profit-making corporations. With the removal of the veto at World Trade Organisation talks, the door would be wide open for the privatisation of health and education services.
Meanwhile Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams yesterday shifted the focus of his party's 'No' argument onto the Government's record and urged voters not to trust it on Lisbon.
"On October 2, the Irish people are being asked to vote on the same treaty by the same Government and they should be given the same answer.
"Fianna Fail is wrong on NAMA, they are wrong on Bord Snip and they are wrong on Lisbon as well.
"Their handling of the controversy over former FAS chief Rody Molloy shows just how out of touch they are," Mr Adams said.
He dismissed the Red C poll findings at the weekend that showed the 'Yes' vote on 55pc and the 'No' vote on 27pc.
"Let's not be duped by what the polls are saying. People need to be motivated to come out and vote 'No'. I would ask people to throw off any sense of cynicism and skepticism and to come back, not to be put off," he said.
Campaigners
Former Green MEP and chairwoman of the People's Movement, Patricia McKenna, joined a number of European anti-treaty campaigners who arrived in Dublin yesterday in an effort to boost the 'No' argument in the final days of the debate.
Ms McKenna urged those who voted 'No' in the first referendum not to stay at home on Friday. A message had to be sent to the political establishment again, she said.
Danish MEP Soren Sondergaard said he had to "think twice" about coming to Ireland to back the 'No' campaign.
Ironically, he said that "interference" by the EU Commission led to his decision to come to Ireland and to call on Irish voters to reject the treaty.
The SayNo.ie group blamed the EU for the €5bn in cuts proposed in Colm McCarthy's report. Spokesman Brendan Young claimed EU rules were behind the Bord Snip Nua proposals and that a 'Yes' result would give the EU a green light to impose even further cuts on hard-pressed taxpayers.
- Aidan O'Connor
