Adams: EU treaty ‘opposite of Proclamation’

The EU treaty which will be voted on next month will represent “the complete opposite of the Proclamation”, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said in a speech to mark the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

He said the fiscal compact treaty would “entrench austerity policies in the Constitution”, which “is not the vision of 1916”.

Urging a no vote in the May 31 referendum, Mr Adams said ratifying it would mean further erosion of our sovereignty and “a hand-over of the democratic rights of Irish people to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats in Brussels, Strasbourg, and Frankfurt”.

He appealed to the hundreds of thousands of people who have so far not paid the household charge “and the many others who were coerced and bullied into paying it to make a stand against the Government’s austerity policies by voting no in the referendum”.

In a speech delivered at St Finbarr’s Cemetery in Cork, Mr Adams said the austerity policies of the Coalition are not working and “are a total contradiction of the 1916 Proclamation”.

He said: “The domestic economy is on the floor. People are worried about paying their bills, putting food on the table, and keeping a roof over their heads.”

He described the Irish as “an island people in transition” and said Sinn Féin offers “a cordial union of all the people of this island, built through reconciliation”.

Mr Adams outlined a seven-point plan he believes would lead to a United Ireland, including using the influence of the diaspora.

“Uniting Ireland makes economic sense. It will bring jobs, create prosperity, and deliver a better standard of living for this and future generations,” he said.

“The people of Ireland need to plan responsibly for the future direction of politics on the island. To do that we need a fully inclusive and rational debate.”