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Top Reasons to Vote NO to Lisbon Treaty national |
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opinion/analysis
 Tuesday May 13, 2008 12:33 by Howard Holby
 - summary and details In agreement with and/or in addition to the reasons listed by the other NO to Lisbon Treaty campaigns, this article provides a list of the top reasons why a NO vote to the Lisbon Treaty is the reasonable decision. Summary The Lisbon Treaty: Details 1. Incomprehensible text The Lisbon Treaty is an incomprehensible, unreadable and too complex constitution to read within a reasonable time frame. The fundamental constitutional provisions of the Lisbon Treaty are hidden in scattered fragments of complex, renumbered, incomprehensible amendments. It is against basic common sense and against the sense of responsibility to sign any treaty or contract without fully knowing its contents and understanding its consequences. This is especially true in the case of making a decision regarding a new constitution, which will ultimately determine our and our children’s future, with implications affecting all the relevant aspects of our life. (Note: most of the advocates of the treaty admit that they have NOT read the text.) 2. Loss of national sovereignty Since the Lisbon Treaty is a constitution that lays down the foundation of a new federal state of the European Union, ratifying the treaty implies the loss of national sovereignty of each EU-state, in legal, political and economical terms. Most of the main negative consequences, such as the tax harmonisation, will be secondary consequences following from the loss of national sovereignty. 3. A constitution to cheat us The text of the Lisbon Treaty is the same as that of the former EU Constitution, under different name and with different presentation. Since the EU Constitution was meant to establish a new federal state, the Lisbon Treaty serves the very same purpose in a disguised form, thus depriving the nation states of their sovereignty. The European Commission and the national governments of the EU countries deny the loss of national sovereignty in order to avoid putting this Treaty on referendums. By the act of misleading and making the voters unknowingly give up their national sovereignty, the political class of Europe forcefully imposes new citizens’ rights and obligations onto nearly 500 million citizens and deprive the voters of Europe of their current voting competencies by a grand-scale deceit. 4. The undemocratic process of Lisbon Propaganda of distorted facts and deceit are by definition methods of undemocratic forces rather than of democracies. “Dictatorship is one of the two chief forms of government in use today. Modern dictators usually use force or fraud to gain power and then keep it through intimidation, terror, suppression of civil liberties, and control of the mass media.” (Encyclopædia Britannica) The implementation of the Lisbon Treaty by means of deceit is the end of the nation states of Europe, end of political freedom and the end of democracy in Europe. Because the Lisbon Treaty is a constitution the referendum on this treaty in all of the EU-states would be the absolute requirement of the democratic foundation of a new federal state. A new constitution is the fundamental set of laws defining the rights and obligations of the citizens and defining the type of the system (democratic or other) they will be governed by; therefore the citizens’ direct approval of the new system would be the a priori requirement to satisfy the principles of democracy in the process of constitutionalisation. However, in the case of Lisbon Treaty, the citizens of 26 EU countries out of 27 countries are not granted the democratic constitutional right for general elections to express their decision on the new federal constitution. Rather than following the democratic process of constitutionalisation, the leaders of Europe have utterly contradicted the voters’ voice expressed via the former French and Dutch referendums. With the European Parliament having ratified the Lisbon Treaty long before the results of the Irish referendum on the Treaty, the EU has revealed its utter disrespect for the voice of the Irish voters as well. It is a contradiction in terms to guarantee a region of democracy, security and rule of law, and to establish a new political system in the respective region by the very act of abolishing the voters’ ultimate right to have a say on the system to be implemented. While the EU and the national political class resort to totalitarian means to pursue their ambitions, they use derogatory labels like “nationalism”, “xenophobia”, and the false application of the terms “terrorism” and “racism”, etc. to suppress the voices of democracy, and to neutralise the European voters’ rightful and lawful self-defence against the undemocratic process of Lisbon. 5. Undemocratic constitution – wide gap between promises and realisation The Lisbon Treaty itself and its supporters claim that the treaty's provisions will actually implement a democratic system, and the treaty will even “improve democracy”. However, based on the very text of the Lisbon Treaty, the exact opposite is true. So far only the “NO to Lisbon” groups could substantiate their claims by the actual text and by an objective analysis of the implications of the Treaty. As opposed to the statements of the advocates of Lisbon Treaty, this treaty is a profoundly undemocratic constitution designing a profoundly undemocratic political system, in which the essential legislative powers of the national parliaments are transferred to a distant, unaccountable and unelected group of bureaucrats, the European Commission. The Lisbon Treaty is a constitution with provisions protecting the new federal state against its citizens, rather than protecting the citizens against the abuse of powers by the state. The system the treaty designs is without effective checks and balances of powers, which would be required as per the principles of democracy. 6. Radical loss of actual influence of the voters on the political decisions For all EU-countries, but especially for the smaller countries like Ireland, the loss of national sovereignty under Lisbon implies a further loss of democratic influence on the political decisions. As of today the voters of each EU-country delegate ALL of their representatives by general elections into their national parliament. The electorate is represented with 100% coverage of the decisions made by their respective national parliament. However, under the Lisbon Treaty the voters of each EU-country can delegate by general election only a fragmental representation into the European Parliament and the Council, the members of which will however exercise powers over ALL citizens of Europe. This fragment equals the percentage determined by the country size divided by the entire size of the EU. In the case of Ireland, this percentage will be 12/751 =1.6%. The Irish voters’ ability to influence the overall decisions made by their political lead will therefore be reduced from 100% to 1.6%. 7. Loss of permanent representation in the Commission After 2014 the EU-states lose their right to a permanent Commissioner. In any 5 year term only two-third of the EU-countries will be represented in the Commission, in the ultimate decision-making body, which will shape the all-time strategies and the very direction of the EU. Because smaller countries like Ireland will not have significant say via other EU-institutions either, for Ireland the loss of permanent commissioner entails the absolute lack of influence on the decisions of the EU. 8. Voting NO to Lisbon Treaty does not mean rejecting alliance among the countries of Europe; it means a demand for restoring the voters’ rights and other guiding principles of democracy, rule of law and constitutionalism in Europe. It means asking for an accountable political lead, and for a transparent and truly democratic system established on a genuine debate and factual agreement between the leaders and voters of Europe. The optimal alternative of the Lisbon Treaty is to retain the sovereignty of the nation states and to design a truly democratic European system in which a strong yet free alliance among the countries of Europe is developed under the constitutional control of the voters over their own national governments and over the decisions of the EU. (See the EUDemocrats' website under the References.) Main references "Time for full facts on Lisbon Treaty" http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/time-for-full....html "Voting No for a reason: Lisbon Treaty OR a Europe of democracy" http://www.indymedia.ie/article/87345 The research articles and references at: "The Lisbon Treaty Blog: Facts about the Lisbon Treaty - what political science tells us" "Summary of the Lisbon Treaty Research" http://howardh.wordpress.com/category/lisbon-treaty-res...arch/ "Lisbon Treaty Irish Referendum Blog - National Platform" http://nationalplatform.wordpress.com/ EUDemocrats - the alternative of the current EU-leadership http://www.eudemocrats.org/ Related link: |
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Comments (20 of 20)
Jump To Comment: 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Declan Ganley has just finished kicking Michael O' Leary's arse all around the R.T.E studio. Brilliant to watch. If only every voter in the
country could have seen it, we'd have a bigger no vote than last time.
Dear Irish Friends,
i'm here to say NO to the Lisbon Treaty!!!
I am with you!
We trust you
sR (Italy)
Say NO, say NO.
You, that can decide, vote NO to Lisbon treaty referendum. In Italy the parliament decided, NOT US!
Please Irish people, say NO, also for us.
We want freedom for the future.
Thanks :)
Paoloblogger (Italy)
Please, please, please, vote NO, NO, NO.
I'm french, and I voted NO in 2005 like 55% of french voter.
After, the French President f*ck the french people : he signed the "Lisboa" treater...
If you read it, you can understand that goverments will destroy nationnal services (electricity, water, medecin, etc...)
Sarko** don't respect the French vote, and it's the same for the Germains and the Spanish.
I'm a Europeen person, but I think this treater isn't Europeen.
Sorry, I'm not a good writer in English.
Thank for NO.
Thierry (from FRANCE).
Message about Lisbon treaty:
Lisbon treaty seems to be totally strange and deleting democracy or human rights?
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright/2008/01/l....html
I’ve read an article which states that police gets rights to shoot people in some situations.
These kind of things are totalitarian politics.
It also probably stops right to go on strike.
http://www.no2lisbon.ie/en/press-centre/entry/160
And all this in whole Europe …
It is sad to notice that all other countries have accepted this treaty, but many governments have not even given people chance to vote about it.
Irish government has given you this right,…anyway it is really strange that Ireland maybe votes again about this, and only after few months?(or 2009?)
EU elite needs this YES, and they have ordered new voting?
If this is true it shows how horrible secret elite rules EU, and what can we expect from the future?
Lisbon treaty is basically giving ‘Gestapo’-laws to EU-government, if needed?
And they seem to need those laws fast?
Vote NO, and save the world?
F.ex. in many european countries media and politicians has almost 100% ignored discussions about this subject, and people are not even aware about whole thing?
It is also good to remember that USA has now similar ‘martial laws’ there, after 11th september 2001… ?
EU security officials decide about all security matters of whole EU?
Also there is some things which makes it very difficult for normal people to complain and get things corrected if there is wrongful handlings?
I hope I am wrong, but this whole thing , and how it has been handled seems really wrong? And it is not a democratic way to handle politics.?
http://www.europeanfoundation.org/docs/Treaty%20of%20Li...n.htm
ps. this writing may include errors.
-Tore Toivicco
—
Now also EU web-cencorship?
http://www.masternewmedia.org/europe-under-internet-cen...kage/
Give us back our democracy!
—
Besked om Lissabon-traktaten:
Lissabon-traktaten synes at være helt mærkeligt og sletning af demokrati eller menneskerettigheder?
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/centreright/2008/01/l....html
Jeg har læst en artikel, hvori det hedder, at politiet får ret til at skyde folk i nogle situationer.
Disse slags ting er totalitære politik.
Det sandsynligvis også stopper ret til at gå i strejke.
http://www.no2lisbon.ie/en/press-centre/entry/160
Og alt dette i hele Europa …
Det er trist at bemærke, at alle andre lande har godkendt denne traktat, men mange regeringer har ikke engang givet folk chancen for at stemme om det.
Irske regering har givet dig denne ret, … anyway det er virkelig mærkeligt, at Irland måske stemmer igen om dette, og først efter nogle måneder? (Eller 2009?)
EU-eliten behov denne JA, og de har bestilt nye afstemningssystem?
Hvis dette er sandt, det viser, hvor forfærdelig hemmelighed elite regler EU, og hvad kan vi forvente af fremtiden?
Lissabon-traktat er grundlæggende give ‘Gestapo’-lovgivning til EU-regering, hvis det er nødvendigt?
Og de synes at have behov for disse love hurtigt?
Stemme nej, og redde verden?
Eksempel i mange europæiske lande, medier og politikere har næsten 100% ignoreres diskussioner om dette emne, og folk ikke engang er klar over alt?
Det er også godt at huske på, at USA nu har lignende ‘martial love’ der, efter den 11 september 2001 …?
EU sikringsmedarbejdere beslutte om alle sikkerhedsspørgsmål i hele EU?
Der er også nogle ting, som gør det meget vanskeligt for almindelige mennesker til at klage og få tingene korrigeret, hvis der er ulovlig handlings?
Jeg håber, jeg tager fejl, men det hele, og hvordan den er blevet håndteret synes virkelig galt? Og det er ikke en demokratisk måde at håndtere politik.?
http://www.europeanfoundation.org/docs/Treaty% 20of% 20Lisbon.htm
ps. denne skriftligt kan indeholde fejl.
-Tore Toivicco
–
Kan det blive mere fascistisk?
Nu også EU web-cencorship?
http://www.masternewmedia.org/europe-under-internet-cen...kage/
Giv os vores demokrati tilbage!
by
-tore toivicco
Some Belgian citizens have deposed a juridical cause before the Contstitutional Court to repeat the Belgian ratification.
Governement has linked the Treaty on the Belgian implementation of subsidiarity. And jut this implemmentaiton is not finished.
Juridical argumants are important but the most iimprtant is the solidarity with the Irish NO. We are looking for good ways to support our Irish brothers en sisters.
Dear Irish friends,
I thank you for your pleasant invitation and I regret to be not with you today.
I would have liked to be able to debate with you this may 29th, exactly two years after the vote NOT from my fellow citizens in the referendum concerning the project of European Constitution and to explain the reasons which have led leftist Europeans, members of French PS to refuse it.
In Europe, we are many with left-wing ideas and particularly in France to hope that the Irish people will vote NOT in the referendum about the project of Lisbon Treaty and your refusal will enable a deep reorientation of the European Construction.
First, let us be clear, this treaty looks like strictly the Constitution that the French but also Dutch people voted down. It is differently presented but the text is strongly identical and above all about the main points which had justified our NOT. We refuse to consolidate a certain idea of the European Construction which stands out gradually by wandering off the intentions of the founding fathers concerning the Europe, namely the constitution of wide free-trade area(without political power and without democratic arbitration, capable of regulating, of acting in the economical, social and financial fields) and an area of generalized competition which instead of organizing the solidarity between the countries, the regions and between the workers, puts a permanent competition as main common value which compares peoples rather than to unite them. We did not agree to settle lastingly the omnipotence of European Central Bank, the most independent around the world, which decides completely alone on monetary policy, so important for our industry (especially for our exports) and our economy. Moreover we don’t accept that the mandate given to the ECB is almost essentially the struggle against the inflation which disregard completely the growth and employment. We wanted the creation of European economic government which could lean on ECB decisions and in order to coordinate better our policies in favour of the growth. Nothing at all kind meets itself there ! It is even the opposite !
Nothing either about the social convergences which allows gradually an upward harmonizationof elementary social standards as the minimum wage. Anything against the social and fiscal dumping within Europe. The unanimous vote concerning the tax system constitutes an unacceptable freezing ; It condemns any action in order to have a fair distribution of wealth for which the left-wing persons are so attached. This assymmetry between the recognition of dogma about the free and not falsified competition, which is presented as a intangible principle and the refusal of any tool of regulation and distribution prepares us an alarming future with an increase of disparities and poverty.
The text of this treaty rises the free exchanges without rules between the European Union and the other countries by hardening the Rome Treaty in a still ultraliberal sense. It is added (10A Article) to the initial text of the treaty in the end of the sentence « The « Union contributes gradually to deletions of the limitations in the international trade and in the direct investments as well as in the reduction of tarriff barriers » the word and « others » what returns to deprivethe Union of the possibility of conditioning its exchanges strictly in line with environmental or social rules. Each sees well that there is a significant curb, particularly to struggle against the climate change or in the settlement of regulation for chemicals because without these requirements on our borders our companies risk to refuse ambitious rules or to relocate !
It is the same stakes concerning the public services which are not defended and risk to disapear in favour of the globalized competition and it makes no difference for health !
It is clear that this new treaty don’t envisage a more social, more united Europe and don’t really increase the democratization of institutions allowing the Europeans to be better listened.
The Irish people have so the possibility of obliging the European Institutions to rethink our common future in new terms and a NOT from your country would doubtless demand that the vote can be again given to the citizens in our states. Otherwise the same decision-makers who impose us for years anti-social and bureaucratic choices will be able to go on making Europe without peoples and sometimes against them.
Marie-Noelle LIENEMANN
06 juin 2008
The french magazine l'Express has this Reuters report online. It begins:
"Le camp du non au référendum irlandais de jeudi sur le traité européen de Lisbonne regroupe des mouvements extrêmement divers qui se retrouvent autour d'une même inquiétude: l'idée que la réforme des institutions européennes porte atteinte à la démocratie.
[The No camp in the Irish referendum...consists of very diverse movements brought together by the same disquiet: the idea that the reform of EU institutions brings with it an attack on democracy.]
On y trouve des organisations pacifistes, des groupes hostiles à l'avortement, des militants nationalistes et une poignée d'entrepreneurs qui craignent que Dublin n'ait plus voix au chapitre à Bruxelles.
[There you will find pacifists, groups hostile to abortion, militant nationalists and a spearhead group of businessmen who think Dublin would no longer have a significant voice in Brussels.]
Vendredi, à six jours de la consultation, le camp du "non" s'est pour la première fois hissé en tête d'un sondage, laissant planer la menace d'un rejet synonyme de retour à la case négociations pour les Vingt-Sept. Un autre sondage publié dimanche donnait lui le "oui" en tête mais confirmait la progression du "non" dans les intentions de vote." [references to the two most recent opinion polls]
So there we have it. The eyes of the continental public turn towards our referendum result. Let us vote on behalf of those millions out there who have been deprived of national referenda.
Chers amis de l'Europe, nous ecoutons vos voix! Taimid ag eisteacht libh agus taimid chun votail!
Link http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/depeches/infojour/reut...72683
Thank you Brian and it is because of the deceitfulness of our politicians that I and my friends are voting No.
The Irish government in actual fact has only it's self to blame. Because they have not used the available time to prepare or re-educate we the voters. And that time has been available to them, what eighteen months at least ?
I am greatly dismayed by their seemingly contempt for 'We the People'. Frighteningly they appear not to understand, that we the voters have a level of comprehension equal, if not greater than they themselves.
A few weeks ago I sent an e-mail to every Irish MEP (on a EU topic) and only three of them had the good manners to reply. So much for those who represent us in the high echelons of the European Parliament. This then is an example of their disdain for We the People.
I very much feel that if this is the style of every MEP throughout the EU now and in the future, of treating it's citizens? then let me quote
'Beware the Ides of March' because civil wars have been built on less!
Surely the people must understand what they're voting for, if the ballot is to be a valid one?
I’m pro Europe- more so than most…I would vote for a Federal Europe…But one based solidly on individual citizens rights and liberties
For me the main problem with Lisbon is the manner in which the Irish politicians are trying to implement it. For example, Lisbon proposes obscure arrangements for police cooperation and other cooperation in areas of security, justice, etc. All these areas impinge on our human rights and individual liberties as citizens, which are strongly protected by our constitution. These areas are no business of the Oireachtas, under Irish constitutional law and the politiians have never been given- nor asked for outright-a mandate to interfere in these areas. But, by getting us to vote for Lisbon, –including the obscure references to Articles 1.22, 2.45..etc (I forget the numbers)- they in effect are getting us to vote to let the Dail and Seanad decide changes to those individual rights areas of the Constitution which heretofore can only be changed by the people themselves. They are in effect taking away our- many of our- individual liberties and citizens rights. Without spelling out which rights are at issue, but only by reference number to obscure proposals.
So, for me its not an issue of what powers we might pass to Brussels, or EU, but, more importantly, what powers, currently reserved for our decision as citizens directly, we are to pass over to our politicians and bureaucrats
PS: Consider the right to privacy. Our Constitution protects it. Yet, the government introduces draconian data retention and surveillance legislation (pleading obligations under some EU treaty) and further has signed up to a Convention under which secret dossiers on Irish citizens can be demanded by any of tens of thousands of foreign officials, and must be prepared and handed over without the citizen being informed or without any knowledge of the courts.
So, what value is our Constitutional protection of privacy if the government can feel they have the right to decide to “cooperate” with EU or not? They can always claim “treaty” obligations are superior to requirements under our Constitution..
Do the voters understand that they are transferring their current exclusive rights to decide certain matters over to the politicians- in Ireland, never mind Europe!
MaryLou and others on why we should vote No to Lisbon
http://www.bebo.com/FlashBox.jsp?FlashBoxId=6998602492&...18708
I applaud this site - it is well put together and well done lads.
Is there censorship in Ireland, in relation to this Treaty. Lenihan says 'No Vote.....is not an option' but Europe is already bringing much of Lisbon into force. European officials already have a plan B, if Ireland votes to reject the Lisbon Treaty. Let us not fool ourselves - Brian Cowen, is a worried man. This is his first test. Not alone with the Fianna Fail machine behind him but also Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore. Yet the Irish Times poll published yesterday says the No Vote is up by 17% and will be carried next Thursday. I hope this is right, not just for the Lisbon Treaty but let's look at Ireland domestically. There is a gap now between rich and poor.
In the last election, the Left were wiped out along with the PD's and it would give the left a chance to rebuild on the true morals of Ireland i.e. the common man and woman.
I don't know when Declan Ganley is going head to head with Minister Harney perhaps it is tomorrow. Before I go I have one more point - let us not forget the Irish illegals in America. Listening to Liveline during the weak proved heartbreaking for many families over here. One man was handcuffed and shackled and held in three different federal prisons and treated harshly.
You see the article in the Village magazine last week mentioned Bertie's speech was irrelevant in the House of Congress. I felt it was a below par article in relation to the fundamentals of Bertie's speech. There were many lies in Bertie's speech - the biggest or one of was is relation to Irish illegals in America. They can't come home for funerals or weddings. Will they have European rights after next Thursday. As one man said, Hilary Clinton, the GAA, and many more have turned their back on them while they cried for freedom to get out of prison and get home. I would like to see more input from the Left regarding our Irish citizens (illegal in US).
A Vote No next Thursday I agree with - if it is carried it will give some of the ego back to the so called academic lefties or leftovers since the last election.
I will close by saying that Jack Russell says Goodnight to Rocky the Sniffer Dog.......
Is it any wonder People will vote no to this totally undemocratic EU.
So much for Democracy ,free speech and freedom of expression.
This Charter of Fundamental rights ,which sounds good, contain rights that are 'given'.
In Law anything that is given can be taken away.
The Irish Constitution was given to the People by the People - not by Govt. or Court system,we ratified it ourselves and only we can give it away.
Bunreacht contains Inalienable rights or un-a -lien-able rights.
These rights cannot be surrendered except by the Person possessing them. YOU.
IT IS THE ONLY REASON NEEDED TO VOTE NO.
I am very happy to read that voting intentions in favour of NO advance in Ireland.
Below two textes revealing anti-democratic measures at the European Parliament or Bruxelles.
I do hope Irish people will save us next week ! ;-)
The European Parliament attacks the small parties
The two main political groups of the European Parliament, those of the Party Popular European and the Party Socialist European, get ready to vote in July for a modification of the internal regulations which could have important consequences to the future composition of the institution. The object of reform concerns conditions requested to form a political group in the Parliament: the actual threshold of 20 deputies coming from the fifth of Member States (that is 5 countries) could be raised to 30 deputies coming from a quarter of Member States (that is 7 countries). As at the same time the total number of deputies in the Parliament should pass from 781 to 751 with the Treaty of Lisbon, it will become more and more difficult to form a group, and therefore to benefit from prerogatives which go hand in hand (as the time of word and the definition of the agenda), however essential to participate entirely in the life of the institution.
The existence of numerous groups as the left Unitaire European, the Union for Europe of Nations even the environmentalists would so be threatened there. If the objective of the two big parties is clear (force the deputies of "babies" to join them and so to institute a functioning really bipartisan), it carries in him the risk of a big attack in the expression of the different political feelings of the EU.
http://www.eurosduvillage.com/Le-Parlement-europeen-s-a...,1660
Dublin asks in Paris for discretion on its plans of European defence
A "confidential" of the Barber dated from May 21st teaches us that " the white book on defence and security, which defines the big strategical orientations of France for next fifteen years, will not be made public before June 12th ".
The minister de la Défense Hervé Morin was auditioned in effect this week in the Assembly then in the Senate by their respective Commission of Defence. The plan of White Book the parliamentarians of which could consult the copy on place without making copy, is classified in effect " confidential defence ". According to The Barber, the postponement of its public presentation has as object to avoid scaring the Irish, very tied to their neutrality, in some weeks of referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon: " It will be ready before this date, but the Irish government, which organizes a referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon that day, asked in Paris to remain discreet. Dublin fears that the parties of the white book dedicated to the strengthening of Europe of defence nourish an antiEuropean vote and cause to fail referendum ".
It is the third time, after the reform of the European budget deferred in September and that of a report in the European Parliament on the implementation of the treaty of Lisbon, deferred also in fine June, that it is so decided to put back after Irish referendum, a subject which would risk awakening the attention of the only people called to pronounce on the European treaty. According to the last opinion poll, 47 % of Irish are always uncertain.
19 05 2008
http://www.observatoiredeleurope.com/
Another French article on our referendum, this time in the posh daily Le Monde no less. Here's how the journo sums up the No side:
"Le camp du non est fait d'une myriade de groupes et d'arguments hétéroclites : une influente association menée par des hommes d'affaires (Libertas) s'est engagée dans la bataille, parallèlement au Sinn Fein, au Parti socialiste ou à des tenants de l'extrême droite catholique, pour dénoncer le traité. Insuffisamment libéral pour la droite, trop libéral pour la gauche, dangereusement libertaire pour certains gardiens radicaux des valeurs chrétiennes : bref, une machine à engloutir la petite nation irlandaise."
["Not sufficiently liberal for the right, too liberal for the left, dangerously libertarian for certain radical guardians of christian values: in short, a machine capable of swallowing up the tiny Irish nation."]
The article quotes the Sunday Business Post poll stressing that there is a 26 per cent Don't Know response. There's everything to play for. Get into the byways and leaflet.
http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2008/06/02/irlande...32345
I would like to add this link - http://www.wiseupjournal.com/?p=173
End of Nations - EU Takeover and the Lisbon Treaty is a well produced documentary on the Lisbon Constitution and what it means for Ireland and the rest of the EU member states.
It also places things in the global context of creating regional superstates to be controlled and dictated to by 'control freaks' as Jim Corr so eloquently puts it, in this interview on Today fm recently:
http://www.wiseupjournal.com/?p=336
An extended list of recommended publications and videos
Prominent politicians on the identity between the Lisbon Treaty and the former EU Constitution:
"EU Empire - Lisbon Treaty / EU Constitution"
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-722592484850619084
An analysis by Prof. Anthony Coughlan:
“These Boots Are Gonna Walk All Over You”
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/2773
Popular sovereignty is abolished and the principle of unanimity is breached by the EU - by dropping the results of the former referendums of the French and the Dutch peoples:
“European Parliament: Members’ Protest - 12.12.2007”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JJlI9swbsA&feature=related
Parliamentary democracy and rule of law are abolished by the EU:
“Power Grab by EU Parliament President (updated)”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVeMBNB0cII&feature=related
Nigel Farage's speech defending Europe's democracy:
"Ireland's call - Vote no to Lisbon"
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-722592484850619084
Movie on the Lisbon Treaty: “End of Nations - EU Takeover & the Lisbon Treaty”
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-42917704894725...54607
The list of Commission members with highly questionable past (ex-communists, fraud-suspects, etc):
“Nigel Farage on who’s who in the EU commission”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWSYMpuCFaQ&feature=related
“The Lisbon Treaty: Ireland Speaks For Democracy”
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/86484
The institutional construction and decision mechanisms of the EU are similar to the ex-communist regimes, such as the former USSR:
“Former Soviet Dissident Warns For EU Dictatorship”
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/865
“Too COSI: what are they hiding? (on the EU’s Standing Committee on Internal Security)”
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/foreign/brunowaterfield/fe...1.htm
“Free Europe”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8CoyLANcts&feature=related
The Lisbon Treaty is the milestone of a gradual process of absorbing the sovereignty of Europe’s nations, according to the professors of Vienna University:
“EuropeNews: “10,000 demanding referendum on Lisbon Treaty”
http://europenews.dk/en/node/8827
“Wrong Man, wrong Europe”
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/article1164.html
An article by Susan George, the board chair of the Transnational Institute and honorary president of Attac France.
Bonde’s Briefing 19.12.07:
“Born in sun and sin” http://www.bonde.com/index.php/bonde_UK/article/bondes_...91207
Euro MPs have decided not to publish a confidential audit allegedly revealing a series of abuses of staff allowances:
“MEPs keep 'fraud' report secret”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7266286.stm
“Demand a Referendum on EU Lisbon Treaty”
article by Helga Zepp-LaRouche
http://www.larouchepub.com/hzl/2008/3510referendum_lisb....html
“The Result of European Unification Will be War”
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/2104
“A Business View: A Bad Deal for Ireland and Europe”
http://www.libertas.org/content/view/252/131/
“Data Watchdog Questions EU's Controversial Fingerprint Plan”
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3222245,00.html
"Video on the Irish campaign by the ERC2:"
http://www.teameurope.info/
Miles,
Here are several links that may be of help to your team's work.
Jens-Peter Bonde - from Denmark: president of the EUD and former member of the European Parliament- has also performed the comparison between the two documents:
http://www.j.dk/exp/images/bondes/13.03.08_COMPARISON_O...Y.pdf
His book on the Lisbon Treaty:
http://www.bonde.com/index.php/bonde_uk/article/C355/
The index with more than 3,000 alphabetical entries to enable the reader to search the Lisbon Treaty by topic.
http://www.j.dk/exp/images/bondes/Index.pdf
His publications can be downloaded for free. These documents are useful for everyone who would like to take a closer look at the Lisbon Treaty.
Bonde's website: http://www.bonde.com/
contains a wealth of information not only on text of the Lisbon Treaty but also about the circumstances of drafting the Treaty. Bonde’s Briefing 19.12.07: under the title "Born in sun and sin" tells us the story on how and by what motivations the Lisbon Treaty was prepared and signed.
Please also see the embedded video on his speech on the Lisbon Treaty on Jan 2008 in Dublin:
MEP Exposes The EU Lisbon Treaty!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kr0Foq3CQE
Hi there,
We'll publish by the beginning of June, hopefully before your referendum, an exhaustive comparison between the Lisbon treaty and the '05 Constitution. But I can teel you at this time that an important majority of the texts are the same, I mean, word by word !
In fact, we need it because we've started a case against our state, France, and we're now more than 1200. The case will take place in the European Court of Human Rights.
Best regards,
http://29mai.eu
For some reason the wordpress web addresses listed under the "Main references" cannot be directly accessed from this page, therefore I recommend to access these pages by copying and pasting their respective link into the address bar on the top of the browser:
http://howardh.wordpress.com/
http://howardh.wordpress.com/category/lisbon-treaty-res...arch/
http://nationalplatform.wordpress.com/