This article is from page 18 of the 2008-06-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
ON Friday last all four Clare TDs – two Fianna Fail and two Fine Gael – campaigned together around the county.
Minister of State Tony Killeen has urged the people of Clare to support the Lisbon Reform Treaty while he also criticised ‘No’ campaigners for making claims that had zero basis in ele
“It is now only a matter of days to polling in a referendum that will make a huge difference to the direc-
tion of our country. I believe that the only way that our country can grow, prosper and provide opportunities for our people is to be at the heart of the European Union,” the Junior Agriculture Minister said.
‘I know that many people are con- fused about what is involved in the Lisbon Reform Treaty. Part of this is because they are hearing claim and counter-claim from both sides. A lot of this has been a deliberate tactic by groups like Youth Defence, Sinn Fein and Libertas which are making claims that have zero basis in fact.
For example, they claimed that the treaty undermined our tax policies even though every independent body which has examined this has said ex- actly the opposite.”
Opposition TD Pat Breen (FG) was in the unusual position of supporting the Government stance.
“A ‘No’ vote will do nothing for our tax autonomy, do nothing for our independent defence policy, do noth- ing for workers rights, do nothing for our farmers and nothing for Ireland’s capacity to develop new opportuni- ties for our people,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Ire- land’s only regional agency has warned that the Lisbon Treaty is too important an issue for the people of the mid west not to take time to be- come informed about it.
“A “Yes’ vote for the Lisbon Treaty referendum is vital for Ireland. By supporting this treaty we will be supporting Ireland’s position as a global economic player and failure to do so will result in this position being eroded and undermined,” said John Brassil, Chairman Shannon Development.
“There seems to be a view out there that people are voting ‘no’ because they are not sure of what the treaty is about. This is too important an issue not to take the time to get informed. I would strongly urge everyone who 1s unsure to take time to understand the treaty. There is plenty of information out there.
“We are all in businesses of one type or another and therefore the re- sponsibility for ensuring the future prosperity of the business communi- ty in Ireland rests in all our hands,” he said.