Nice campaigners clash over economy

CAMPAIGNERS on opposite sides of the Nice Treaty debate conflicted yesterday over how the outcome of the Referendum will affect the economy. Labour leader Ruairí Quinn said the economy will be damaged if the Nice Treaty is rejected, while the No campaign claimed the reverse is true.

According to Mr Quinn, a second No vote risks the loss of all that has been gained by Ireland throughout its membership of the EU.

“We will lose power, we will lose influence and we will lose money if we vote No,” Mr Quinn said.

Urging people not to vote against the Nice Treaty to punish the Government, Mr Quinn said voters who were angry should hold their fire and wait until the local elections in 2004.

He said the biggest obstacle to a Yes vote was the Government, whose track record of deceit, and duplicity had now been shamefully exposed.

However, the No to Nice Campaign said the economy would be damaged if the Treaty was passed as it contains provisions that will destroy jobs and growth in this country.

Nice is about the transfer of power from the smaller states to the larger states, campaign spokesman Justin Barrett said. “We are concerned that the Government has been somewhat successful in persuading many people that a failure to ratify Nice would damage the economy.

“Despite the fact that these assertions are fanciful and never elaborated upon, they do have the potential to mislead and are dangerously threatening, especially in a climate of cutbacks and rising unemployment caused, ironically, by the incompetence of the Government,” he said.

Enlargement of the European Union will proceed on time regardless of the outcome of the Referendum, Mr Barrett said. He said he was confident a declaration on enlargement will be made at the Inter-Governmental Conference within a week of the vote.

The Labour Party will spend €25,000 on its campaign for a Yes vote, while the No to Nice Campaign will spend €100,000.

Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen said the Government is not contemplating defeat in the Referendum.

Speaking during a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, Mr Cowen said if people had party political concerns, there were ways to sort them out separately from the Nice Referendum.