Taoiseach sets October 2nd date for referendum on Lisbon

TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowenhas confirmed the Lisbon Treaty referendum will take place on Friday, October 2nd, as legislation to allow it go ahead – the 28th Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty of Lisbon) Bill 2009 – passed all stages in the Dáil last night.

Mr Cowen told the House that at the European Council meeting of EU leaders “Ireland secured the guarantees that we required on tax, neutrality and ethical issues. These will become part of the treaties by means of a protocol.

“The union reaffirmed the importance of workers’ rights and public services. We reached agreement that each member state would retain a commissioner.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martinsaid, "if we want to have legally binding agreements on the right to life, the protection of the family, taxation and our traditional policy of military neutrality, and if we want to retain our commissioner, we should move to ratify the treaty.

"Without the Lisbon Treaty, we will have no automatic right to a commissioner and no legal guarantees." He said that if passed, "both the treaty and the decision will be registered with the United Nations under Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations". During Taoiseach's questions Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláinasked if the Government received advice "from the Attorney General on the suitability, under the terms of the McKenna judgment, of sending one million or several million postcards by the Minister for Foreign Affairs consequent on the deal done at the Council of Ministers".

He said it “appears to be in contravention of the judgment because it appears to promote only one side of the argument”.

Mr Cowen was unaware of “any constitutional issue regarding the Government bringing to the attention of the public by whatever means it wishes” the factual outcome of the EU leaders’ meeting.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmoreexpressed concerns about the "overly literal interpretation" of the McKenna judgment to give 50 per cent to each side of the debate.

The Taoiseach said what had emerged because of the McKenna judgment “is that in certain respects one sees a premium on confusion rather than clarity emerging from debates and that does not serve a purpose”.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kennysaid "the treaty strengthens our country's position in Europe", but he warned: "I would not underestimate the strength of the feeling of confusion that exists and am not led by opinion polls that indicate the referendum is just an exercise to be gone through".

Fine Gael foreign affairs spokesman Billy Timminswarned that the referendum was about "whether we want to be an influential player within Europe or if we want to adopt an isolationist policy.

“It is definitely about whether we want to be in or out, no matter what way we seek to dress it up. That is not a scare tactic as this is a fundamental vote on whether we want to play a part in Europe or be on the sidelines.”

Labour spokesman on European Affairs Joe Costellopointed out: "No EU member state retains conscription for its citizens, which was a major issue in the last referendum even though no country imposes it. Nor does any EU member state speak of an EU army."