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No To Lisbon Campaign Gathers Momentum

02/05/08

éirígí stepped up their campaign for a No vote in the upcoming Lisbon Treaty referendum over the weekend, bringing the reasons for a rejection of Lisbon onto the streets and into public meetings in both Donegal and Dublin.

The Tallaght community was provided with the crucial facts when éirígí’s No to Lisbon leaflet was distributed on Thursday evening (April 24) – to coincide with the Forum on Europe public meeting, which was taking place in the nearby Plaza Hotel.

Meanwhile, the Darndale Roundabout in Malahide was the scene of a well-attended and highly visual demonstration on Saturday (April 26), which aimed to counter the government-encouraged lack of debate, which has so far surrounded the run-up to the Referendum.

Also on Saturday, éirígí’s Daithí Mac an Mháistír was one of the main speakers in a public meeting on the issue in Dungloe, county Donegal.

Speaking at the event, Daithí said:

“éirígí has taken the decision to dedicate itself to wholeheartedly opposing the Lisbon Treaty and we will be actively campaigning on the issue right up to the day of the Referendum.

“To do so is to stand on the side of democracy and a vision of Europe wherein the people are sovereign; wherein politicians are the servants of the citizens of their respective states.

“Saying No to Lisbon is to say yes to the possibility of a democratic Europe, to the possibility of James Connolly’s vision of a ‘free federation of free peoples’. This is the only vision for Europe that éirígí will countenance.

“A substantial No vote in this Referendum will indicate that there are many in Ireland who share this vision.”

Meanwhile, a recent poll carried out by the Sunday Business Post/Red C monthly tracking poll indicates that, despite the atmosphere of confusion generated by EU bureaucrats in favour of the Treaty, people are getting the facts and inching towards rejecting another encroachment on Irish democracy and sovereignty.

Support among the Twenty-Six County electorate for the Treaty has fallen from 43 per cent in February to 35 per cent at the time of the poll last week.

Opposition to the Treaty has increased from 24 per cent to 31 per cent, with the number of undecided voters remaining almost unchanged, at 34 per cent.

Mac an Mháistír commended the éirígí and CAEUC activists who have been diligently involved in raising awareness.

“Hopefully, the deception emanating from the EU elite and Leinster House is beginning to be seen for what it is. People are sitting up and taking notice of the reality of what this Treaty will mean for our country and our future.

“This is in no small part due to the activism of citizens with a genuine social conscience who, against the might of the state spin machine, have and will continue to expose this latest attempt to create a united states of Europe for the benefit of wealthy politicians and businessmen, maintained on the exploitation of the 500 million working citizens of this continent.

“We must continue in the same vein. I am confident that any voter in the Twenty-Six Counties with knowledge of the facts will vote this Treaty down. It is our job to encourage everyone to arm themselves with the facts and I commend the great work done so far and encourage everyone to raise the tempo in the coming weeks to ensure that the Treaty is binned once and for all.”

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