Wicklow Sinn Féin have said they intend mounting a vigorous campaign
in the county against what they are calling "the Austerity Treaty",
and they plan on launching the No campaign at a public meeting in the
Royal Hotel in Bray on Thursday 26th April at 8pm.
Cllr. John Brady who is the Sinn Féin spokesperson on the treaty in
Wicklow said the treaty was bad for Ireland and stated, "With this
fiscal Treaty and their failure to renegotiate the promissory note,
The EU and the Irish government have essentially signed a repo order
on the Irish Harp. This Treaty seriously undermines Irish sovereignty
by surrendering important Irish fiscal and budgetary matters to
unelected and unaccountable EU officials. This Treaty drafted in
merely 3 days is incomplete. We are being asked to pass a referendum
essentially signing a contract without knowing the finer details
because they haven't as yet been worked out. It is hard to comprehend
how anyone would enter into a binding agreement without knowing the
full workings of it yet our Taoiseach has already signed off on it.
And now the government asks Irish citizens to support a Treaty that
will enshrine policies of austerity in our constitution and
International law in perpetuity. This treaty will impose greater
levels of austerity on citizens for an indefinite period of time. It
will significantly undermine the choices available to future
governments to manage the State's economic affairs".
Cllr Brady continued "Additionally we are being threatened that there
will be no further money from the ECB after next year if we do not
pass it. This is nothing more than an idle threat. The European
Council will not refuse emergency funding to any Euro zone member
state in the future irrespective of their final position on the
austerity treaty. To do so would break the commitment it gave to the
European Council Summit on July 21st 2011 when it said it was
"determined to continue to provide support to countries under
programmes until they have regained market access, provided they
successfully implement those programmes". People need to remember the
jobs and recovery we were promised for voting YES to the Lisbon
Treaty- the threats are as empty now as the promises were then"
"Sinn Féin believes this treaty is bad for Ireland and for the EU and
will institutionalise austerity into domestic constitutional law and
international law in perpetuity. If ratified this treaty will cost
taxpayers at least an additional €6 billion in public spending cuts
and tax increases after 2015. It will mean more cuts to our schools,
our hospitals and our community services. It will also mean more
charges and tax hikes. There will also be significant new powers given
to the European Commission and European Court of Justice. It will also
undermine the Oireachtas and give significant control over economic
and fiscal policy to unelected bureaucrats and judges in Brussels and
Luxembourg. And that is why the European Trade Union Confederation is
opposed to the Treaty. It’s why the French Socialists, the German
Social Democrats and the Dutch Labour Party – all sister parties of
the Irish Labour party, are opposed to this treaty. Austerity policies
will not end the economic crisis. Wicklow Sinn Féin will be vigorously
campaigning between now and May 31st and asking the citizens of
Wicklow to vote No to Austerity” continued Cllr Brady
Brady concluded "On 31 May, the Irish people have the opportunity to
convey their opposition to the policy of economic austerity and stand
in solidarity with those in Europe who are not entitled to the same
constitutional referendum requirement. If we vote ‘no’, we will still
remain in the EU and Euro. If we vote ‘no’, we will send a strong
signal of support to our European counterparts who oppose this treaty
and also challenge Europe’s conservative, austerity agenda. Wicklow
Sinn Féin will be launching the No campaign in Wicklow at a public
meeting which will take place on Thursday 26th at 8pm in the Royal
Hotel in Bray and everyone is welcome to attend to find out more
information on the Austerity Treaty or to get involved in the campaign
to oppose it"
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