Libertas.org

 Naoise Nunn Executive Director, holds a bin as Libertas President Declan Ganley disposes of the Green Party`s 2007 manifesto calling it a sham,while holding a Libertas leaflet,which will be printed for every home in the country and will outline arguments in favour of the treaty,with a point-by-point rebuttal to each of them.At the Photocall Mr Ganley said Libertas had taken the decision in reponse to Environment Minister John Gormley`s decision to limit the role of the referendum commission on the Lisbon Treaty - Photo:Leon Farrell Photocall Ireland

Libertas President Declan Ganley will this morning announce that the organisation will fund an information leaflet for every home in the country to replace the leaflet that would ordinarily have been circulated by the state-funded referendum commission.

At a photocall in Dublin, Mr. Ganley said that Libertas had taken the decision in response to Environment Minister John Gormley’s decision to limit the role of the referendum commission. The Libertas leaflet will outline arguments in favour of the treaty, with a point-by-point rebuttal to each of them.

“We are forced to announce this leaflet today because this Government is so afraid of the arguments against this treaty that they won’t spend state money to inform people in an unbiased manner - they’ll happily spend the people’s money on Press Releases attacking me, but not on giving the people honest information.

It is a disgrace that the referendum commission has essentially been gagged by the Government, who hope that if people don’t get any chance to read the arguments against the treaty, they will be bullied into believing that somehow rejecting this treaty would be harmful to Ireland and Europe, which is nonsense.

For example, our leaflet will make clear that this treaty is not necessary in order to make the EU more efficient after the accession of new member states, - in actual fact, EU legislation has increased by 25% since 2004”.

Green Manifesto “a sham” 

Mr. Ganley also used the opportunity to launch a scathing attack on the Green Party leader, - publicly taking the Green Party 2007 election manifesto and dumping it in a recycling bin - and called on Green Party members to “stand up for what they believe in” at the Party’s forthcoming special conference on the Treaty.

“On page 33 of this document, the Green Party commits itself to campaigning for increased democracy in the European Union. The Green Party that was supported by the Irish people is totally unrecognisable from the Green Party that now sits in Government. The John Gormley of even a year ago is totally unrecognisable from the John Gormley of today.

He opposed the EU Constitution, and yet he supports this Treaty. Can he tell us what it is in this Treaty that has made him conduct this 360-degree turn? Can he honestly look anybody in the eye and say that in his heart, he supports this document?

Of course he can’t, - but John Gormley and the Green Party are more concerned about power than doing what’s right for the country. This isn’t a matter of me disagreeing with him on policy, this is much more serious. This is a man who genuinely opposes this treaty, has opposed his contents in the past, and thinks it’s bad for the country, and yet he won’t speak up.

Where once we had the great moral crusader, now we have an unprincipled, amoral, power hungry political animal who will sell his party and his country up the river in order to protect his own political hide.

If you are a Green member, or a Green voter, then do not go down the road he’s pointing you. Turn away, and join those of us who are willing to stand up for our beliefs.”