If you don't know, then vote No
SF urge No to Amsterdam Treaty
By Michael Pierse
``The vast majority of people do not know what they are being
asked to endorse. It is unreasonable to expect that they can be
enlightened in the space of a week'' - these were the words of
Dublin SF South West representative Seán Crowe who advised those
unsure of the implications of the Amsterdam Treaty to vote No at
a press conference in Dublin this week.
The conference was convened to initiate the Sinn Féin campaign in
advance of the forthcoming Amsterdam Treaty referendum. Speaking
on the issue also were SF TD for Cavan/Monaghan Caoimhghín O
Caoláin and Ard Comhairle member Micheál Mac Donncha.
``One word sums up all the reasons why Sinn Féin is calling for a
No vote in the referendum on the Amsterdam Treaty,'' O Caoláin
said, ``That word is democracy.'' In what he termed an ``inexcusable
decision'' by the Government, he slammed the holding of the
referendum on the Good Friday document on the same day. ``The Good
Friday Document has almost totally eclipsed the Amsterdam Treaty
issue'', he said, and he castigated the joint press conference
held by the PDs, Labour, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the
Democratic Left, which called for three Yes votes, further
confusing the issues.
Speaking in relation to claims by the Yes camp that the Treaty
would do much to help fight the drugs epidemic, Crowe, who hails
from Tallaght, said, ``this Treaty is not necessary in order to
allow for co-operation between European police forces on the
drugs problem as co-operation already exists in this area.''
One of the main thrusts of O Caoláin's argument was the need to
re-negotiate various aspects of the Treaty. He said the
Government has the ``wit but not the willingness'' to achieve a
protocol, similar to that achieved by Denmark, which ensures the
neutrality of the 26 counties. Although various politicians have
said there would be no such change to foreign policy without
another referendum, O Caoláin conveyed that no such provision
exists within the Treaty itself and that such a decision would be
left to the discression of Government politicians, on whom he
said we should not rely. Dick Spring, he said, had promised in
the 1992 election campaign to enshrine neutrality in the Irish
constitution. However, he failed to deliver on this promise while
participating in two successive Governments.
Seán Crowe voiced concerns at the provisions within the Treaty's
Article J 7.1 which states ``the progressive framing of a common
defence policy will be supported, as member states consider
appropriate, by co-operation between them in the field of
armaments.'' This he said poses a serious threat to our
neutrality. He also stated that clearly there is a difference
between the current ``peacekeeping'' policy and the proposed ``peace
enforcing'' in the Treaty. While ``there is a lot of goodwill out
there as regards the positive role of Irish troops,'' he said, ``we
must not endanger their positve contribution with any threats to
our neutrality.''
Micheál Mac Donncha said this Treaty ``would leave Ireland as a
peripheral region within the greater European Bloc.''
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