GREEN PARTY:IRELAND COULD end up being faced with a poorer deal if it rejects the Lisbon Treaty in Thursday's referendum, Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, has said.
He was speaking at a meeting in Dublin where the European Green Party - the umbrella group that represents Greens in 26 out of 27 member states - strongly urged Ireland to vote Yes. Acknowledging that the treaty was not perfect, he said voters should "take a holistic approach" because it delivered substantial improvements on energy security, climate change and humanitarian aid.
Rejecting the No camp's arguments that Ireland can win a better deal, he said he knew "how difficult" it had been for the agreement to be reached: "Lisbon is a renegotiated settlement.
"They are not in tune with political reality to say that we can unravel it and go back. In all likelihood we could end up getting a worse deal," said Mr Gormley, who urged people to look at the treaty's positive contents.
"Let's get away from the negativity. There has been too much negativity. We are not saying to give a lukewarm Yes. We are saying that people should give an emphatic Yes," he said.
"When I hear renowned neo-cons and hawks like John Bolton encourage Irish people to vote No to Lisbon, it reminds me that I am on the right side of the debate.
"There are people in this campaign who want to see Ireland move into a more isolationist and euro-sceptic position. I have never been euro-sceptic and I would hate to see Ireland move in this direction.
"The Irish environment has benefited tremendously from our membership of the EU, and so have our workers through European social legislation. Ireland enjoys a place at the very heart of Europe and I fear that a No vote could endanger the influence and position that our small country has established over the last 36 years of our membership."
European Green Party spokesman Phillipe Lamberts said he was concerned by the No campaign's "attempts to create anxiety".
Abortion, neutrality and taxes had "nothing to do with the Lisbon Treaty", and he said he resented the No arguments to the contrary. "The Lisbon Treaty is designed to deliver more rights to Europeans through a more democratic union, better equipped to confront today's challenges."
Belgian Green MEP Pierre Jonckheer said a rejection of the Lisbon Treaty "would create a very bad atmosphere in Europe in political circles. We have had seven years of this. Finish it. It is enough."