Libertas.org

Libertas President Declan Ganley has said that the invitation by the Taoiseach to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to come to Ireland during the Lisbon treaty referendum campaign is a “direct slap in the face and a humiliation” to Europe Minister Dick Roche.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern announced earlier tonight that he had enlisted the help of the two leaders whom he claimed would come to Ireland to boost his campaign to pass the EU reform treaty in a referendum next year. "I have invited Angela Merkel and she said today that she would attend. President Sarkozy also already told me he will come to help us out." Mr Ahern told reporters after a summit in Brussels.

Libertas, which launched the "No to Lisbon" campaign Thursday morning, has tonight underlined the outrageous u-turn that this statement represents. Libertas President Declan Ganley pointed out that just last week the Minister of State for European Affairs, Dick Roche warned Irish people shouldn’t tolerate people from outside the country trying to influence the result of the referendum.

Dick Roche and Bertie Ahern now need to tell the people of Ireland why they think it’s ok for there to be interference in our internal political affairs so long as it interests them.”

“If Sarkozy and Merkel want to persuade the Irish people of the arguments, then let them face their critics in public. I am hereby challenging either or both of them to share a platform with me, before the Irish people, and answer Libertas’ arguments about this mess of a Treaty.

Only this week, we heard the Spanish Foreign Minister stating that there was an “unwritten agreement” amongst EU leaders to avoid further referenda. Nicolas Sarkozy has gone as far as to say that “a referendum now would bring Europe into danger. There will be no treaty if we had a referendum in France, which would again be followed by a referendum in the UK".

It’s quite something to see that two leaders of the European political elite are planning to come to Ireland to bully and intimidate the Irish electorate into a yes vote while denying their own citizens their say on this treaty".

Declan Ganley concluded by reiterating that if the Taoiseach is serious and that Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy have indeed accepted his invitation to them to join his campaign, he challenges them to a simultaneous face-to-face to debate live on television. "Let the truth be aired and the anti-democratic DNA of this treaty will be laid bare for all to see" he said.