No to Lisbon - A Treaty for the Rich

ireland / britain | imperialism / war | news report

Thursday September 03, 2009 18:41

by WSM - Workers Solidarity Movement - WS111

wsm_ireland at yahoo dot com

The WSM is calling for a No vote in the 2nd Lisbon referendum on the grounds that people in Ireland can do a lot better than a choice between the clowns in the Dáil or those in Brussels. We oppose the EU's policies of privatisation, militarisation and attacks on workers' conditions but don’t insult people’s intelligence by saying that our current society in Ireland with its severe recession, diabolical public services and corruption is anything better. The major lack of democracy in our lives is not between us and the EU but between the Irish government and us.

We see issues like the democratic deficit in the EU as merely a symptom of the real problem. The real problem is in how we live our own lives. We work all day and have absolutely no control over our lives or in our workplace; we are asked to vote every five years to chose who we would like to make decisions for us. This is not democracy in any meaningful sense of the word.

There are people who do have control however; the politicians and business elites. They make money off our work everyday. A quick look over the past ten years in this country has shown they couldn’t care less about us. A massive amount of wealth was been created by workers in this country during the Celtic Tiger years, yet we have seen little long-term improvement in our lives as a result.

Anarchists believe the problem is not the treaty alone but the EU as an institution. The treaty, no matter what it contained, wouldn’t give us more control of our lives. This can only happen when we have democracy in our communities and workplaces. Thus, only a radical change in the democratic and economic structure of our society can change things so that the majority of people benefit from the resources of this country. The wealth, held now by the minority, must be used to benefit everyone.

So, why should we give them the thumbs up? Vote ‘No’ to their project for benefiting elites. But a vote ‘No’ is worth little on its own if things are not changed at home. The EU must change but so too must Irish society.

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Kommentare (2 de 2)

Merkel is falling

by William Wallace

Fri Sep 04, 2009 07:15

In germany merkel seems to loose backing of the masses. Todays german newspaper "Die Welt" informed. since Merkel is the mightiest pusher of the lisbom treaty the constitution could begin struggle if merkel drops. No to lisbon means no to lisbon! Irish vote NO!

Death Penalty written in Lisbon Treaty

by Fiona

Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:44

I read the other day that there is an actual DEATH PENALTY provision in the Lisbon Treaty. It was quoted in the Executive Intelligence Review, 7 April 2008. A German professor had discovered the provision hidden in a footnote of a footnote. We can be executed for rioting or "upheaval" whatever that is. Also can be executed if there's a WAR somewhere that the EU is involved with. Gee, like maybe Afghanistan? My question is "are we executed if we just protest a war?"

Don't just take my word, I read all about it on a blog that links from antilisbontreaty.com along with a lot of other bloody awful things hidden in the so-called "treaty." I wasn't going to bother voting this time, but now I am voting NO on that Lisbon enslavement.