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There was a large turnout in Cork on Saturday (16/2/08) to hear opponents of the Treaty of Lisbon give their reasons
why people should vote No in the Irish referendum on the treaty which will be held later this year.
Representatives from a cross section of political parties on the Left, trade unionists and representative groups addressed
a well addressed meeting in a city centre hotel.
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| John Bowen of the Workers' Party addressing the Cork meeting |
Speaking on behalf of the Workers' Party, trade union activist
John Bowen dismissed claims by the government that calling for a No vote was "anti-European". "Nothing could
be further from the truth", said Mr. Bowen, "the Workers' Party, as a socialist party, believes in international socialist
solidarity and in keeping with that we have fraternal relations with workers and communist parties throughout Europe and indeed
the world, particularly the developing world", "
Mr. Bowen continued, "The fact that the Treaty has already been defeated under another name –
the EU Constitution – by voters in France and the
Netherlands
shows the total contempt that those who run Europe
have for its citizens". The European Union has been moving to the right since shortly after Ireland joined it in the
1970s. This was in keeping with the way national politics were develping in all member states, particularly in Britain
and Germany with the election of Margaret Thatcher and Helmut Kohl in the 1980s.
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