Sinn Féin has formally decided to again campaign for a no vote in the second Lisbon Treaty referendum in the autumn, party president Gerry Adams announced today.
Mr Adams said after a special ardchomhairle meeting in the Ardboyne Hotel in Navan today that the party will again campaign against the treaty.
“This was a bad treaty when last it was presented. The people said no. Exactly the same treaty is being presented once again and we will be formally launching our campaign later this week,” he said.
Party vice-president Mary Lou McDonald said Sinn Féin would be mounting a strong campaign against Lisbon notwithstanding the expectation that the treaty will be carried this time in the light of the recession.
“It was a tough fight last time round. The Government and the Yes campaign will rather opportunistically choose to use the economic chaos that we have as rationale for passing for what is a bad treaty for Ireland,” she said.
“People need to make the right decision in the medium and longterm interests of this country. Lisbon is simply a bad deal. We can do a whole lot better. The Government had an opportunity to deliver something substantially different. They failed that test, and in so doing they failed the people,” added Ms Mac Donald.
“As we debate Lisbon we won’t be doing it in a vacuum; we do it against a backdrop of people losing their jobs, fearful of losing their homes, and we are saying that we need a new way forward, a new direction. Lisbon does not offer that,” she said.
“We are asking people to think twice and to say no again,” added Ms McDonald.
She added that people were capable of distinguishing what is good for the country and what is bad. It was important not to make mistakes over Europe. “You have to think long-term,” said Ms McDonald.
“Propaganda and spin and even scare tactics are no substitute for good policy, for a thought-out vision for this State and this country.”