The Irish Anti War Movement is calling on all our supporters to VOTE NO to the Lisbon Treaty and to canvass your friends, work colleagues, neighbours, family on this important issue. There is still time to swing the vote in favour of the No side. Please print out the of our leaflet and hang it up in your workplace or college or distribute it to friends, family etc. If you can help with canvassing, stalls, leafleting etc. in these last critical few days please contact Michael Youlton on 086 8159487. Please print out this leaflet (http://www.irishantiwar.org/files/irish-anti-war-leaflet1.pdf) and hang it up in your workplace or college or distribute it to friends, family etc. A number of articles have been included in this news letter if you are unsure about what way you will vote please read them. If you can help with canvassing, stalls, leafleting etc. in these last critical few days please contact Michael Youlton on 086 8159487. ________________________________________________________________________ The Lisbon Treaty Means More Wasteful Militarisation & Senseless Wars
The Lisbon Treaty:
Read more(http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/594) ________________________________________________________________________ Treaty hides ticking time bomb of EU defence body
Lisbon Treaty seeks to incorporate an aggressive European Defence Agency into EU, writes VINCENT BROWNE THE LISBON Treaty proposes to incorporate the European Defence Agency (EDA) within the institutional structure of the European Union. Among the tasks of the EDA will be to co-ordinate the military equipment of EU member states to ensure there is greater efficiency and synchronisation of the military capacities of member states in the conduct of humanitarian and peacekeeping projects. It also sponsors research on measures to improve the protection of military personnel engaged in such missions. The EU has already participated in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and in Africa, most recently in Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These initiatives have won widespread approval and support and the intervention in Congo, in particular, may have saved thousands of lives. If this was all the EDA was up to, how could any of us complain? We are all in favour of peace, in favour of rescuing populations from starvation, war and natural disasters, and doing everything we can to protect our soldiers engaged in such laudable undertakings. But, regrettably, this is not all the EDA is up to and this is not all the Lisbon Treaty would facilitate, if endorsed by the Irish people. Read more(http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/595) ________________________________________________________________________ Militarism and the Lisbon TreatyDownload Entire Pamphlet (www.caeuc.org/files/CAEUCpamphlet4Feb08.pdf) The Lisbon Treaty widens the range of reasons to justify EU military interventions abroad. It would integrate Irish forces into EU military structures and planning, which are dominated by states with colonial histories and use military force for political-economic ends. All member states must pay towards the costs of militarisation.
Neutrality in the gutterIrish neutrality – meaning we don’t participate in military alliances or allow our territory to be used by belligerents involved in war – has been thrown into the gutter. Our political elite have allowed over one million US troops use Shannon going to and from the US colony in Iraq. This contravenes international law on neutrality (Hague Convention, 1907). Likewise they refuse to search US planes en route to illegal secret prisons, for example in Poland, Romania and Egypt –carrying prisoners to these torture centres. Irish troops are to take part in a French-dominated EU intervention into the conflict in Chad, ostensibly to provide security for refugees. For us the well being of ordinary people is paramount. While this is a UN-authorised mission, France – as the former colonial power - has been giving military support to the dictatorial regime in Chad that has rigged elections and used child soldiers. Beneath humanitarian concerns lies a French desire to maintain western influence over the oil and uranium of the region. In the eyes of local people, Irish troops are likely to be indistinguishable from French forces, hated in much of Africa for their brutal colonial history. Read more(http://www.irishantiwar.org/node/593) ________________________________________________________________________ ====================================================================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list send a message to If you have subscribed using the button on the web site you can unsubscirbe this way aswell. To contact the webmaster send an email to webmaster@irishantiwar.org or ring +353 0 878289243 Irish Anti-War Movement Postal Address
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