Eurolink News

Irish MEPs blast ‘pack of lies’ in anti-Lisbon leaflet (23rd Sept 2009)

September 23, 2009 at 1:40 pm Leave a comment

A glossy eight-page leaflet sent to every home in the country claiming to reveal the truth about the Lisbon Treaty ‘should be put in the shredder’,  said Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness this week. Irish MEPs have united to harshly condemn the eurosceptic brochure, published by a group fronting for the right-wing UK Independence Party.
Among other claims, the leaflet says Lisbon would ‘lower the wages’ of Irish workers, create an ‘EU supreme court to overrule our values’ and pave the way for a common EU corporate tax rate. It says the treaty will lead to mass immigration from Turkey, as portrayed by a photo of a turkey with the caption ‘free movement for 75 million people’.
However the leaflet fails to point out that Ireland will retain its veto in all the areas mentioned, including immigration and taxation. ‘This brochure is designed to frighten, not enlighten,’ said Ms McGuinness. ‘I trust the intelligence of Irish voters to see through the ranting and put this publication where it belongs, in the shredder,’ she added.
Irish MEPs Liam Aylward (FF) and Nessa Childers (Labour) have urged voters to consider the real motivation behind the UKIP leaflet. ‘People should be fully aware that UKIP wants the complete withdrawal of Britain as a member of the EU; it does not support the European project and does not have the interests of the Irish people at heart,’ said Mr Aylward.

Entry filed under: Lisbon II. Tags: .