This article is from page 81 of the 2008-03-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 81 JPG
A FORMER Green Party MEP will be in Ennis this week to voice her op- position to her party’s stance on the upcoming EU Treaty.
Patricia McKenna, who contested the leadership of the party with En- vironment Minister John Gormley last year, has criticised the “sheer ar- rogance’”’ shown to the people of Eu- rope by their political leaders.
McKenna is the chairperson of The People’s Movement, an organiza- tion campaigning against the Lisbon
Treaty.
“Regardless of the fact that voters in France and the Netherlands have rejected the EU Constitution, it has been renamed, repackaged and put back on the table as if nothing had happened and we are being told to say yes or Ireland will be isolated.
‘There is almost unanimous agree- ment among EU leaders, including Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, that the sub- stance of the rejected Constitution hasn’t changed. The difference be- tween the original Constitution and the present Lisbon Treaty is one of
approach, rather than content.”
McKenna will speak at a public meeting in the West County Hotel this Thursday, March 7, at 8.30pm.
She has been asked to speak by the Ennis-based Irish Drivers As- sociation, who are also opposing the treaty.
“The blatant conspiracy by EU gov- ernments to deny their electorates the right to vote on this treaty is an affront to democracy,’ she continued.
“EU leaders openly admit that they have taken the rejected EU constitu- tion and renamed and repackaged
it in an unreadable format. Giscard D’Estaing said that public opinion will be led to adopt, without know- ing it, the proposals that we dare not present to them directly.
“All the earlier proposals will be in a new text, but will be hidden and disguised in some way. What was al- ready difficult to understand will be- come utterly incomprehensible, but the substance has been retained.”
Meanwhile, Ms McKenna will be back in Ennis on Monday, March 10 to debate Clare TD, Timmy Dooley (FF) on the treaty.
The pair will take part in a public meeting in The Old Ground Hotel next Monday, March 10, at 7pm.
Deputy Dooley is the vice chair- man of the Joint Oireachtas Com- mittee on European Affairs and will argue in in favour of the treaty.
Other members of the National Forum On Europe, on which is rep- resented all the political parties and leading national organisations, are expected to attend. Copies of the fo- rum’s recently-launched