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Government should clarify contents of leaked Lisbon email – Libertas

Written by Libertas

Monday, 14 April 2008

Official who authored memo should resign

Libertas is demanding an immediate statement from the Government clarifying the contents of a leaked department of foreign affairs email, the contents of which are detailed in a morning newspaper today.

According to a detailed report in the Irish Daily Mail (scan available here), an email from a very senior Irish official to his British counterpart reveals that the Government is systematically hiding key information about the Lisbon Treaty from voters.

The email also states that the Government has sought and received assurances from EU officials that they will "stay quiet" on the contents of the Treaty for the duration of the campaign, and that the Government has deliberately brought forward the date of the referendum because of the likelihood of embarrassing details about the Treaty being revealed during the French Presidency of the EU.

Libertas Chairman Declan Ganley said that the single most damning thing about the email, however, was the admission that the Government hoped that very few people would actually read the text of the Treaty, and would simply "vote with the politicians they trust".

"The contents of the Story in this morning's Daily Mail require immediate clarification from the Government. If the story is accurate, it means that senior officials in the Irish Government are actively conspiring to release as little information as possible about the Lisbon Treaty in order to preserve the chances of a "yes" vote.

Secondly, it means that the Government is in cahoots with Brussels to keep the most unpopular aspects of the Treaty under wraps until after we've voted on it, - after which time the Irish people will be told that they have to accept whatever the EU is imposing on us because "we voted yes to Lisbon and there's nothing we can do".

Perhaps the most damaging aspect of this story is that Dermot Mulhall, the official who allegedly authored this email, is a civil servant. His responsibility is to the people of Ireland, not to his political masters.

If this story is true, he is conspiring to keep information that is in the public interest away from the people, and he should resign immediately.

Again, I call for an immediate statement on this matter from the Government".