LISBON TREATY:FORMER EUROPEAN Parliament president Pat Cox has said a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum is the only platform for economic recovery available to Ireland.
Mr Cox warned the economic consequences of a No vote would be “dramatic and wholly negative”, when he spoke at the launch of civil society group Ireland for Europe’s new referendum poster campaign in Dublin.
“I do not say a Yes vote is a guarantee of recovery. It is the platform for recovery. It is up to us to make use of it,” he said.
“But let us be clear. The heart of Europe is the only platform we have for recovery. None other is available.
“October 2nd is D-Day for Ireland and the Irish – a date with destiny – a decision whose consequences will mark us for a generation,” he said.
While the vote was on a legal text, the result would give a signal to Ireland’s European partners and the wider world because it would be taken in a “political, economical and psychological” context.
Mr Cox said the immediate economic effects of a No vote would be uncertainty for those planning to invest in Ireland, and an increase in the costs of borrowing, as well as a collapse of consumer confidence.
He said Ireland would find itself isolated politically within the European Union.
A Yes vote would have immediate positive benefits for Ireland, he insisted.
It would reassure the international financial community that the Irish were “getting our act together”, Mr Cox said, adding that this would help stabilise the cost of borrowing.
“We are at a crossroads. The choice we make on October 2nd will determine our future for generations. One road leads to economic recovery. The other to economic ruin.”
He called on voters to “rise above” their understandable anger about bankers, developers, tax hikes and cutbacks.
