PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT: THE GREEN Party politician and chair of the People's Movement, Patricia McKenna, has accused the Taoiseach of giving conflicting messages about Ireland's position, following the defeat of the Lisbon Treaty in the referendum.
"Although he claims in the Irish media that he will respect our decision, he is reported in the international media sending out a very different message," Ms McKenna said yesterday.
She pointed to remarks of EU Commission president, José Manuel Barroso who said on Friday: "As far as I understood from my conversation with Prime Minister Cowen, he also believes the treaty is not dead. I believe the treaty is alive. And we should now try to find a solution."
Ms McKenna added: "If the Taoiseach refuses to make it clear to the other heads of State that the treaty is dead, implicit in that refusal is that we will re-run the referendum. This is unacceptable."
She described as empty threats the claim that the other 26 member states would agree a new arrangement without Ireland.
"Brian Cowen has a choice. He can respect the decision of the Irish people by telling the other EU heads of state that the Irish people have rejected the treaty and it is therefore dead and there is no point in proceeding with the ratification process as all 27 member states must agree before it can be accepted.
"Or he can turn his back on his own people, dismiss their decision and tell the other member states to proceed with the ratification process as if nothing had happened. This would be a great betrayal of the people. He must respect his oath of office and the Constitution," she said.
Meanwhile, Green Party councillor, Bronwen Maher, has listed mistakes made by the Yes campaign which was backed by Green Party Ministers.
She said the Yes side lacked a clear and simple message and the failure to kick-start the campaign early in the year allowed the No camp to build momentum. "At the outset there appeared to be a deliberate strategy not to engage in the issues but to engage in a strategy of discredit and name calling, for example, former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who dismissed the No side as 'a load of loo-las'.
"How arrogant of the EU elite to expect our trust and serve up a document which is long, complex and for many indecipherable. Both McCreevy and Cowen admitted not having read it and our own Referendum Commission were very publicly found wanting when attempting to explain it," said Cllr Maher.
She said the late announcement of the election date and Brian Cowen's attack on Fine Gael had played a part in damaging the Yes campaign as had the IFA deal.
"The disheartening approach of many local candidates who used the referendum as a key campaign tool to promote themselves ahead of next year's local and European elections. How can you hope to engage voter's trust if you blatantly engage in a cynical self promotion exercise?" she asked.
Ms Maher said the Irish electorate was a sophisticated one and had not reacted kindly when talked down to by people like EU Commission president José Manuel Barroso.
She said the blame lies at the top but the European Commission's denial of this "highlights the ever increasing gap" between the peoples of Europe and their politicians in Brussels.
