The Alliance Against Nice Campaign today rounded on the Government, accusing it of lying on the issue of enlargement and of opening the way for the privatisation of Ireland's public services.
Speaking at an Alliance Against Nice press conference in Dublin, Green Party TD Mr Paul Gogarty accused the Government of lying and said most Irish workers were in favour of enlargement and restated that the Treaty of Amsterdam actually allowed for the entry to the EU of up to twenty states and beyond.
He then asked, in the case of Nice being rejected "if the EU would be so selfish" as to refuse accession to the new states.
The Alliance, which is made up of workers representatives and left-leaning political parties and activists, highlighted the Amendment to Article 133 which it says, will allow the European Commission to negotiate directly with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the General Agreement on Trade and Services. The Alliance says this would open up the public services including Health, Education and Social Services to privatisation.
Earlier, Sinn Féin's Louth TD, Mr Arthur Morgan referred to the lead for the Yes side in recent polls and said the same situation pertained last year. He said the issues most mentioned on the doorsteps related to neutrality, the economy, and sovereignty.
He said people were misleadingly told by a Fianna Fáil Government in 1996 that Ireland would not join the Partnership for Peace unless agreed by referendum. He also said the Government had said the economy was "sound" before the general election but that "the worst has yet to come - they're saving it for after Nice because they're afraid of scaring Yes voters."
Mr Michael Duffy, Chairman of the Irish Glass Bottles strike committee was critical of IBEC claiming their "uncompromising support for the closure of IGB ... showed they put the interests of the bosses before workers."
SIPTU's Ms Marnie Holborow called the Treaty of Nice a "corporate treaty" and said the "lining up with IBEC (by unions) was taking partnership to ridiculous lengths" when the "majority of members" were in favour of a No vote.
Mr Gogarty ended by calling for a No vote on the Treaty and said the voting public had the "right to say it [Nice] was a bad treaty."
