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Declan Ganley and Ulick McEvaddy chat in front of the Libertas Campaign Bus 

Ulick McEvaddy has spoken of his "Very difficult" decision to call for a "No" vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum at a Press Conference in Dublin this afternoon. 

Mr. McEvaddy was joined by Libertas Chairman Declan Ganley in Dublin's Merrion Hotel, where he had called reporters to tell them about his decision.

He said:

"When it came time to decide how to cast my vote in this campaign, I looked around and saw an alliance of people I respect and admire on one side of the debate. Therefore, my decision should have been an easy one, you might think.

Nonetheless, having read this Treaty four times, I have been unable to find it worthy of my support, and I am certainly unable to say that it is going to be in any way beneficial to the interests of the Irish people, or the Irish business community.

I have a deep and abiding appreciation of what membership of the European Union has done for this country. I do not need the yes campaign to remind me about that. I understand the desire of many people to "repay" Europe for that support by supporting this latest offering at the ballot box.

On the other hand, I believe that affection and respect for Europe must be repaid with due diligence and thoughtful consideration of what is in Europe's best interests. This document is set to determine the future of Europe for the next 1,000 years.  Reading it, I come to the conclusion that it is unwieldy, unclear, incredibly poorly drafted, and will require years of interpretation by lawyers and the European Courts.

Further, I am troubled by the lack of any meaningful attempt to make Europe more democratic. These troubles are not assuaged by the fact that across Europe, in many cases in direct contravention of promises by Government, the people of Europe are being denied the chance to voice their opinions on this generation-defining document at the ballot box.

In the case of Ireland, I am troubled by the very clear risk to our ability to determine our own taxation levels. The risk, identified by Libertas and Declan Ganley, and then confirmed by Jose Barosso this morning, of destination taxes being imposed on Irish business is not one that I think we should take, in the national interest.

There is only one thing clear about this treaty, and that is that it is completely unclear.

In that context, I regret that I cannot join the chorus of establishment calls for a "yes" vote, and that I find myself calling for the Irish people to vote No.

I see a need for reform in Europe, - of that there is no doubt. Regulation from Brussels has become an extraordinary burden for the business community to bear, and this needs to be addressed. Despite long conversations with people whom I respect, I can find no evidence that the Treaty will make any difference in that respect whatsoever.

Europe needs a constitution and a rulebook that is clear, and gives the people as much input as possible. Ireland and the United States both have documents of this nature.

When the leaders of Europe draft something that the ordinary person can understand, and that will not need decades of legal wrangling to determine its effect, I will gladly support it.

On this occasion, however, I am giving my support to Declan Ganley, in his and Libertas' call for a rejection of this treaty on June 12th".