SF: Treaty information is being suppressed

THE European Commission and Irish Government are withholding information from the Irish people to “smooth the passage” of the Lisbon Treaty, according to no campaigner, Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald.

The MEP for Dublin has criticised what she described as “threatening” language by the EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who said on Monday night that the EU and Ireland will “pay a price” if the treaty is not ratified on June 12.

Mr Barroso said there is “no plan B” if the referendum is not carried by the Irish people and “it would have a very negative effect for the EU”.

Ms McDonald said yesterday his remarks were “unhelpful” and could “backfire” on the yes campaign. “Once you enter into the territory of saying ‘if you don’t vote for this catastrophe will follow’ then I think that’s coercive and I don’t think it is of any assistance to a good democratic debate,” she said.

“I’ve just been very uncomfortable all along with the number of statements that have been made, with the number of decisions to suppress reports and information, to keep information from the Irish people to somehow smooth the passage of this treaty. I’ve no doubt that the Irish people will take their own counsel on these matters. I don’t think its appropriate for the president of the commission to be making a statement like that and I suspect that it will actually backfire if the objective was to assist the yes campaign,” she said.

French newspaper, Le Figaro, reported last week that the Irish government have interfered in the publication of the country’s white paper outlining plans for security and defence over the next 15 years. “It will be ready before this date [June 12], but the Irish Government, which is holding a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on this day, asked Paris to remain discreet. Dublin fears that the parts of white paper devoted to the expansion of European defence policy will feed the no vote and ruin the referendum,” Le Figaro reported.

Independent MEP for the south Kathy Sinnott who supports a no vote, said: “The attitude is very much ‘get it passed at any cost because that’s all that matters’. The government is attempting to deceive us into voting yes by some pretty extraordinary means.”

Anti-Lisbon campaigner and former Danish MEP Jens-Peter Bonde will hold a press conference in the offices of the European Parliament in Dublin today.

He will distribute free copies of his 384-page explainer on the Lisbon Treaty which he says is “neutral” and “reader-friendly”.