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Special Feature
Faces of the Irish No Campaign
40 minute extended version


This special feature includes Interviews with:

  • Patricia McKenna - chair person of the People's Movement former Member of the European Parliament for the Irish Green Party
  • Anthony Coughlan - senior lecturer emeritus in Trinity College, Dublin. Secretary, National Platform EU Research Information Centre.
  • Declan Ganley - Businessman and president of the Libertas Institute
  • Frank Keoghan - Secretary of the People's Movement
  • Roger Cole - Chairman of PANA - The Peace & Neutrality Alliance
  • Kathy Sinnott - Independent Member of the European Parliament

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Find these arguments in our special feature

  • The Lisbon Treaty makes the EU less accountable and less democratic.
  • Militarisation will play a bigger role in the EU for the sake of the arms industry.
  • The Charta of fundamental rights places market-concerns before the rights of the individual.
  • Adopting European Law is a rubber stamping exercise
  • The Lisbon Treaty is the EU Constitution repackaged
  • The Lisbon Treaty removes democratic accountablility from the people
  • Unelected "representatives" will speak in our name.
  • In the EU laws are made by unelected civil servants.
  • With the Lisbon Treaty approx. 30 new law making areas will be passed to Brussels.
  • With the Lisbon Treaty the EU can abolish members' veto rights in many fields.
  • Bigger states become even more powerful. Smaller states will lose influence.
  • The European Court of justice will have the power to decide over all of our rights.
  • The Treaty is all about building a militarised European Union.
  • The European Parliament decided NOT to respect the result of the Irish referendum.
  • The people in Ireland and other states want to stay in control of their own countries.
  • The French and Dutch people who already rejected 90% of this treaty are ignored.
  • The elites want to push through their agenda and couldn't care less about democacy.
  • The fact that Ireland is the only country with a referendum shows a lack of democracy.
  • The Lisbon Treaty will bring a vast reduction in national democracy.
  • The only right which will be left to the people is the right to complain.
  • Even the formerly sovereign parliaments will only have a right to complain.
  • Only big business benefits from Lisbon. For SMEs it will be harder to compete.
  • There won't be any other referendums throughout Europe because the people would reject the treaty.
  • A Europe without the support of the citizens is fundamentally unstable.
  • This Treaty will create a more centralised, militarised and undemocratic Europe.
  • You can't sustain a single entity like the EU, without the democratic support of the people.
  • As a consequence of a no-vote we would have the opportunity to renegotiate the Lisbon Treaty.
  • An Irish no would be a turning point for the EU and a chance for ordinary people to be heard.
  • An Irish no would bring a chance for the people to finally have a say on the direction of Europe.
  • More and more power is squeezed from the national parliaments and the citizens.
  • The EU is not a democracy and it won't become one on the basis of the Lisbon Treaty.
  • There is no area of life which will not either be or be able to become a European competence.
  • The Supreme Court ruled: the government doesn't have the right to use public money pushing one side.
  • The public has no access to balanced legally vetted arguments for and against this treaty.
  • If the people vote yes they should know what they are voting for.
  • Afraid of a real debate the yes-side tries to turn it into a debate about being for or against Europe.
  • Do not fall for the government's scare tactics but inform yourself on the real content of the treaty.
  • Do not forget that 486 million Europeans have been denied a referendum on Lisbon.
  • Why do the Irish people have a say on Lisbon at all? - The Crotty Case:
  • Public money must be spent in a balanced way not to push one side. The McKenna case:
  • In relation to broadcasts both sides should be treated equally. The Coughlan case:
  • The government tries to marginalise the no-side in any way possible and assumes it to be wrong.

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