No side to pressure Government over jobs promises
Sinn Féin also said they wanted the Government to produce an easier budget later this year, after it was claimed during the campaign that a yes vote would allow for this.
Reacting to defeat in Dublin Castle, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said: “Those who were suffering most from austerity voted no. We’ll try and keep the Government to their promises.”
He said his party would be looking at the terms and conditions of the future EU bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, and then decide if they would back that.
“The problems facing people today are going to be there tomorrow,” he added.
Deputy party leader Mary Lou McDonald claimed that Labour had taken the hit in the campaign and seen its support fall and move to her party, particularly among working-class areas.
The three constituencies in the capital which backed a no vote, Dublin South West, Dublin South Central, and Dublin North West, all have two Labour TDs each.
“The Government and the yes campaign have promised very high,” she said. “They’ve set their own bar very high.”
Ms McDonald said Finance Minister Michael Noonan had suggested that there would be an easier budget in December with a yes vote.
“We want to see that happen. We want to see those that have taken the roughest edge of austerity and cutbacks protected.”
Ms McDonald also said that Labour were on the wrong side of trade unions here, compared to the rest of Europe, as well as their own sister parties in other states.
“A very substantial proportion of Labour party supporters were not prepared to come out and support this treaty.”
United Left Alliance member Richard Boyd Barrett argued that the yes side had won the vote through fear.
“Labour have a very good reason to be worried. Their manual working class base has deserted them. It shows the Dáil is quite unrepresentative. There’s only 20% of Dáil deputies backing the treaty, but 40% of the population have opposed it.”
He said his group would also push for a further vote on the ESM, the permanent bailout fund.
“I believe there should be a referendum on it, so people can fully debate its contents.”
No campaigner and businessman Declan Ganley said the 60% yes vote now gave the Government a mandate to seek a better deal on reducing Ireland’s bank debts from Europe.
“The chronic insolvency in Europe’s banking system is not something that should be transferred to taxpayers. This was the only democratic exercise on the treaty to be carried out in Europe. The majority of the electorate here have expressed trust and faith in our partners in Europe to do the right thing.”
The Libertas party leader also said he was not ruling out running for the European elections in 2014.
“It’s a long way off from now, a lot’s going to happen in the next few months in Europe. We will see.”
