|
The Irish Farmer's Association President, Padraig Walshe, cannot allow himself to be bullied into supporting the Lisbon Treaty, Libertas Chairman Declan Ganley told the Forum on Europe this evening.
Speaking at the forum's Galway regional meeting, Mr. Ganley said that the Treaty was the "death-knell" for rural Ireland.
He said that he understood that the IFA leadership would be put under "huge" pressure from Brian Cowen, Enda Kenny and of course Peter Mandelson who last week dared to brand the IFA leadership liars. The organisation, and Irish farmers, should not allow themselves either to be bullied or bribed into supporting a Treaty that was so patently bad for rural Ireland.
He singled Mr. Walshe out for particular praise, saying that the IFA President had "shown admirable leadership", and said that he was certain that Mr. Walshe had the "necessary courage to stand up to the Pressure he will be put under":
"Let us be very clear about this. Mandelson's WTO talks are merely the symptom of a bigger problem facing Irish farmers, - the lack of accountability in Brussels. This Treaty enshrines that, weakens Ireland's voice, and exposes us to future deals that could devastate Irish farming.
Under the Common Commercial Policy, Article 188 of the Lisbon Treaty makes the conclusion of international trade agreements such as the WTO Doha round, an exclusive competence of the EU and, after Lisbon, Ireland would be left with no veto over the final deal.
Ireland would lose its Commissioner for five out of every 15 years. For five years at a time, we would have no voice at the table which has the monopoly on proposing new laws for Europe such as the reform of CAP. Although this applies equally to all member states, it is obviously of more concern to a small country like Ireland than, say, a large one like Germany.
Ireland's voice is further weakened by the new voting arrangements introduced by Lisbon. Under the new proposals, Ireland's vote in the Council would be reduced by 50% while Germany's would double and France's would increase by 60%. Think how this might affect Ireland's ability to protect its vital interests in agriculture in negotiations on the future reform of the CAP.
Voting No would strengthen the hand of Irish farmers to demand a better deal for themselves and for Europe and stop Mandelson's sell-out of Irish agriculture.
The Government's claim that a Yes vote would strengthen the hand of Irish farmers in negotiations is totally untrue. This referendum offers farmers and the citizens of Ireland a trump card – why would they just hand it back again by voting yes?
I understand that a few leaders of the IFA will come under immense pressure to support this Treaty. I should know as I came under immense pressure myself. I have been hugely impressed with Padraig Walshe's leadership in this battle thus far. I know that there are certain politicians in this country who think the IFA will roll over like a puppy dog and play dead a few days before polling, - but having seen Mr. Walsh in action so far, I doubt that this will be the case."
Mr. Ganley criticised the Yes side for "spinning" comments about the Common Agricultural Policy that he had made in 2005, saying that the referendum would not be won or lost on the basis of inaccurate personalised attacks.
"My comments were made in 2005, before the necessary and welcome reforms of then-commissioner Franz Fischler.
I come from a farming background in the west of Ireland where small farmers were devastated by poverty and emigration. The CAP has, overall, been of benefit to those people, but like all programmes, it needed reform.
I understand well how the reform of the CAP was supposed to follow market rather than subsidy-led solutions. However, it has failed consumers and farmers alike and swamped Irish farmers in red-tape.
Some in the processing sector have used farmers' weakness as an opportunity to engage in anti-competitive practices leading to farmers being paid the same farm-gate prices for products such as beef, lamb and milk as they were 20 years ago while production costs have vastly increased. Farmers are now working much harder for much less money – on average, their incomes are between 20% to 45% of the average industrial wage depending on the sector."
Mr. Ganley concluded by saying that he was unsurprised by the recent increase in activity by the "Yes" campaign:
"I note that they have gotten out of the blocks at last. Now that they have, they will find on the ground what we have been finding for months, - people will not swallow bland slogans about EU membership this time. They know this Treaty is different, they are tired of being patronised, and they are ready to give the political establishment in Brussels a firm message that they need to go back to the drawing board and think again.
Mr. Ganley said "a No vote is not a vote against Brian Cowen, FF or FG. A No vote will be a mandate for Brian Cowen to go back to Brussels as our new leader and negoitate a better deal for Ireland. They will definitely give it to him." |
