Home > Pádraig Mac Lochlainn to head Sinn Féin Lisbon Treaty campaign
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn to head Sinn Féin Lisbon Treaty campaign
by Open-Publishing - Wednesday 13 February 2008Europe Referendum European Constitution referendum
DONEGAL Sinn Féin Councillor Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has been appointed the party’s director of the Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign.
Speaking at the launch of the party’s Lisbon Treaty alternative in Dublin on Tuesday, Councillor Mac Lochlainn said Sinn Féin will be mounting a major campaign against the Lisbon Treaty and he is calling on people from across the political divide to get involved. He said Sinn Féin members across the country will be going door to door to distribute more than half a million newsletters setting out the party’s case against the Lisbon Treaty and why Ireland deserves better.
“Sinn Féin intends to fight a vigorous campaign against the Lisbon Treaty. We believe that it is a bad deal for Ireland and that many hundreds of thousands of people right across the island share our concerns at its implications into the future,” Councillor Mac Lochlainn said.
“This week, Sinn Féin members across the country will be going door-to-door to distribute more than half a million newsletters setting out our case against the Lisbon Treaty and why Ireland deserves better. This will be followed up by a series of regional meetings beginning in Dublin on 15 February.
“We will be encouraging as many people as possible to join the campaign against the Lisbon Treaty. It is our belief that people from across all of the political parties, despite the stated view of their leaderships, will be part of this broad campaign.”
The new director of the drive to ditch the Lisbon Treaty said that EU leaders should be sent back to the drawing board and the Irish Government should properly represent the interests of the Irish people.
IF the Treaty is defeated, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said, it will:-
1) Force our political leaders to return to the negotiating table and secure a better deal the next time round;
2) Create the opportunity for greater democracy in the EU;
3) Give the Government the backing with which to secure a specific article protecting neutrality;
4) Develop the momentum for new provisions promoting and protecting public services;
5) Give the Government the impetus to secure opt-outs from EURATOM, the European Defence Agency, and other contributions to EU military expenditure.