Corporate interests drowning out ordinary voter - Higgins

SOCIALIST PARTY:POWERFUL CORPORATE interests are drowning out the input of ordinary people in the Lisbon debate, Dublin MEP Joe Higgins has said.

The Socialist Party MEP said massive amounts of money were being raised from businesses to fund pro-Lisbon Treaty propaganda, but the actual content of the treaty was not being debated.

He highlighted a letter sent out to businesses in Wicklow from the Ireland for Europe Wicklow committee.

The letter says the local group, which is affiliated to the national Ireland for Europe campaign, needs to raise €30,000 to help highlight the importance of a Yes vote in Wicklow.

“This letter demonstrates the serious amount of funding available to this organisation which is only one of many well-resourced pro-Lisbon groups,” Mr Higgins said.

He also accused most sectors of the media of a pro-Lisbon bias.

“The massive amounts of money being raised from business interests and being spent directly by powerful corporate interests, as well as a huge pro-Lisbon bias in most sectors of the media, are drowning out the input of ordinary people in the Lisbon debate,” he said.

“The democratic debate that should be well under way at this stage is being seriously distorted by these factors.”