Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has attacked Cóir and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) for claims they have made ahead of the Lisbon Treaty referendum.
Mr Martin said Cóir’s had scared some people into thinking that the minimum wage could be cut by 80 per cent. He said this had been disproved repeatedly.
He also said UKIP was behind a 12-page full-colour leaflet due to be delivered to Irish homes.
He said: “This is quite the nastiest, most deceptive piece of literature ever distributed in an Irish referendum.
“To anyone who receives this publication I say, don’t be fooled and don’t take anything on its face value.”
Meanwhile, the Minister for Defence Willie O’Dea said Lisbon Treaty did nothing to diminish or alter Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality.
“While the Treaty makes this clear itself, we have worked with our EU partners to secure legally binding guarantees to re-enforce this,” he said.
“I also want this morning to dispel the myth of the ‘increased militarisation of the EU’.”
Mr O’Dea said when Ireland joined the European Union the State had a Defence Force of over 14,000 and defence spending was over 1.5 per cent of GNP. Today, the Defence Force was just over 10,000 and spending was 0.6 per cent of GNP.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed today the future of Irish farming is firmly linked to a strong bond with Europe and a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty.He said: "The stark reality of the current economic situation is that Irish farm families are experiencing more difficult financial circumstances than ever before.
The Single Farm Payment alone contributes 60 per cent to Irish farm family incomes, a vital support during a particularly difficult time, he said
"If we are to sustain this sector and maintain employment at over 230,000 it is vital that Ireland maintains a strong position in Europe and plays a key role in negotiating the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap)," Mr Kenny said.
