Libertas Runs for Office

The Lisbon Treaty, which aims to weld the nations of the EU into a more perfect union, requires the ratification of all member states in order to be implemented. Ireland was the spoiler — it held a referendum on the treaty on last June, but the Irish people foolishly voted the wrong way.

The nerve of them!

The EU, however, insists that the Irish keep on voting until they give the correct answer. Only then will they be allowed to stop. Once the Lisbon Treaty is cemented into place, Utopia will have been attained. Any further voting at that point would be superfluous. The ballot box will become a quaint archaism.

So Ireland must try again. According to The Telegraph:

Ireland to Hold a Second Referendum on the Lisbon European Union Treaty

Michael Martin, the Irish Foreign Minister, stressed that Ireland would get concessions in return for bowing to EU pressure hold a re-run referendum after Irish rejected the treaty in June.

“Work remains to be completed with our European partners over the coming months and any second referendum is conditional on satisfactory conclusion of that work,” he said.

Mr Martin spoke ahead of an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. He said he expected promises that Ireland will keep a permanent European commissioner along with legal guarantees on military neutrality, social and ethical issues.

It seems the Irish will co-operate with Brussels, provided that the price is right. But have they found a way to guarantee a favorable result to the EU this time?

The opposition to the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland hasn’t given up. In fact, they’ve gone on the offensive. Libertas, the organization which spearheaded the “No” vote, has expanded its operations across the entire EU. In a proactive move, the group is preparing to field candidates for the European Parliament.

Here’s a press release from Libertas that arrived in my inbox today:

Libertas launches new website and launches campaign for 2009 European Parliament elections

Brussels, 11 December — Libertas will contest the European elections in 2009 on a Pan-European basis, its chairman Declan Ganley announced today.

Speaking to a packed Press Conference at Libertas’ newly opened European Headquarters in Brussels, Mr. Ganley said that Libertas would field candidates across the European Union on a common pro-European platform of democracy, accountability and transparency.

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Mr. Ganley stated that Europeans have reached a crossroads: “If people want a strong and healthy Europe that is democratic and answerable to them, they should vote for a Libertas candidate. If they do not want Europe to succeed or if they are happy with the current undemocratic practises, then they should vote for an incumbent party. For those who weren’t given a vote on the Lisbon Treaty, this will be their referendum”.

Libertas will run candidates in every country where the candidates are of a high standard, committed to the Libertas’s pro-European stance and its platform of democracy, accountability and transparency aimed at bring European back to the people.

A detailed policy document will be published in the coming months, and candidates’ names will be unveiled over a similar time frame.

The Libertas announcement coincides with the European summit where the Irish government will announce a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

According to Mr. Ganley: “The Irish government and the powerful elite in Brussels are showing utter contempt for the democratic decision of the Irish people in rejecting the Lisbon Treaty. Not one sentence will change in a “new version”. Some non-legally binding texts will be added in an attempt to fool the people. They tried this with the French, they tried with the Dutch, they are trying with the Irish. It’s time to put a stop to this bullying.”

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Visit the new Libertas website at http://www.libertas.eu.

Contact Information:

Phone: +32 (0)2 743 8000
Email: info@libertas.eu

Hat tips: Tuan Jim and islam o’phobe.