On Friday 2 October, Ireland will hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Ahead of the voting, campaigners on both sides are gearing up to make their voices heard by the public.
Last weekend Cóir – a pro-Irish constitutional rights group – launched its anti-Lisbon Treaty campaign. At press time, volunteers working for the organisation had put up several thousand posters around the country urging people to vote ‘no’. With a strong campaign team, over 6,000 posters and powerful messages, Cóir will surely convince a lot of people to turn down the treaty.
However, our attention has been drawn to one of the five posters the group has put up in many locations across the country. While the poster’s text – ‘€1.84 Minimum Wage after Lisbon?’ – asks a very important question, we do not believe that Protocol 27 of the Lisbon Treaty will copper-fasten this in legislation, as claimed by Cóir.
It is also important to note that Ireland’s minimum wage of €8.65 is one of the highest in Europe. There would surely be no harm if our minimum wage was to fall somewhat to enable a reduction in the cost of living and a retention of people in employment – granted, of course that we maintain our high standard of living.
While we believe that Cóir has every right to encourage people to vote ‘no’, we would urge the organisation not to give inaccurate information to the public. Indeed, there can be no gainsaying that an affirmative vote in this referendum would guarantee a much stronger society for all of us. It certainly presents a future where our freedom and destiny would be guaranteed.
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