The Lisbon Treaty referendum “is the most serious question we have ever been asked in Ireland”, according to former EU Commissioner and Gatt director general Peter Sutherland.
He said it was “utterly amazing that there could be any question about the economic interest of Ireland in proceeding with this”.
If Ireland votes No, he did not believe the process would stop. “I can’t believe that a way will not be found to proceed and if a way is found to proceed, how can Ireland having said No, be part of it.”
Speaking at a joint press conference with Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and the party’s deputy leader Richard Bruton, Mr Sutherland said that “if we vote No to this treaty as polls seem to indicate this morning, we will have rejected not merely the combined will of the parliaments of every other country in Europe, but the combined will of all our economic operators – Ibec, its members, Microsoft, Intel and all of the rest all of the big employers in this country, our trade unions and also the farmers’ organisations both of them who believe this is imperative.”
He insisted that “our entire success has been built out of the European Union and the presentation of Ireland as a positively internationally engaged country which is open to the world and open to being a core member of the European Union unlike the UK which has already opted out of a number of areas of Europe.”
Asked about the possibility of a second referendum for Ireland as happened with the Nice Treaty, he said: “the Taoiseach has said we won’t have a second vote. I don’t see how you can have a second vote. The last time in the Nice Treaty there were at least some changes. I can’t see that happening and as the Taoiseach has said it’s inconceivable. It’s difficult to see any country being taken seriously in the context of doing it twice.”
Mr Sutherland added: “When I became a commissioner there were two German, two French, two Italian commissioners. They have reduced themselves to exactly the same as ourselves now.”
Asked about The Irish Times TNS/mrbi poll which showed a majority of Fine Gael supporters against the treaty compared to 30 per cent in favour, Mr Kenny said that “in the week before the first Nice referendum it showed a very strong majority in support of Nice 1 and that was actually rejected by the people”.
The Fine Gael leader said: “I have always viewed referenda as not being sort of segmented political decisions”.
He said: “It is the people’s choice. They are all legislators next Thursday.”
"This is a crucial decision we’ve got to make. It’s bigger than any interparliamentary row between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.”
