ABOLISH POSITION OF COUNTY MANAGER

At its meeting this month the members of Sligo County Council unanimously supported a motion tabled by Cllr Declan Bree welcoming the commitment in the Programme for Government to abolish the position of County Manager.

Speaking to the motion Cllr Bree said “Every citizen who believes in the concept of democracy and local self government will welcome the commitment in the new Programme for Government, to abolish the position of County Manager.

“The commitment states ‘We will abolish the position of County Manager and replace it with that of Chief Executive, with a limited range of executive functions.’ Cllr Bree said that the primary function of the Chief Executive will be to facilitate the implementation of democratically decided policy.”

“Local Government, as it is normally known in the rest of Europe, does not exist in Ireland.   At best we have a system of local administration, through which centrally appointed County and City Managers make the executive decisions for our cities, counties and towns.   This system was established in the 19th century when we were still the subjects of a foreign monarch.   In my view this is no longer appropriate for the citizens of a modern republic.

“The fact is that elected councillors in Ireland have very little power.   In recent years elected councillors have lost powers over road plans, waste management plans, waste charges, and many planning functions.  Even the decisive role which councils once had over their Annual Budget and over County Development Plans has been greatly diminished.” said Cllr Bree.

“On many councils, the Manager and his/her senior officials are the “local government”, and the councillors function as a kind of “opposition” in the council chamber.  In fact the power of City and County Managers has been greatly increased in recent years and in many cases they act as the agents of Central Government.     

“The management system as operated in this country has contributed to an extremely weak local political system.  Managers do not have a political mandate to represent the local community while local elected representatives do not have the responsibilities or structures to optimise a strong local leadership role. 

“This local democratic weakness in turn reinforces the tendency for local communities and politicians alike to turn to central government to deal with issues which should be dealt with locally.

“I believe that the powers and authority of local councils should come from the people.  This means that the will of the elected representatives of the people, should, subject to law, take precedence in the conduct of the Council’s business.” said Cllr Bree.



OPPOSE PRIVATISATION OF STATE FORESTS

At its meeting this week Sligo County Council voted to support a motion from Cllr Declan Bree, opposing moves to privatise our state forests.

Speaking to his motion Cllr Bree said that the vast majority of people in this country “would consider it utterly unthinkable that the forests of Ireland would be sold off for the sake of short term financial gain.

“However I would point out that the privatisation of Coillte was first floated in the McCarthy report where he called for a review of ‘the operations of Coillte with a view to realising optimal return through rationalisation, asset disposal and, possibly, privatisation’

“And while the EU/IMF deal only talks of the ‘possible privatisation of state owned assets’, we have seen in Greece that a recent EU/IMF progress report on their bail-out has called for a ‘scaling up of the privatisation’.  With Fine Gael now in government it is my view that all state owned companies may be under threat of privatisation.” said Cllr Bree.

“It has also recently emerged that a Dun Laoghaire based British company called International Forestry Fund (IFF) has expressed an interest in buying Irish Forests.  The chairman of the IFF is non other than ex-taoiseach Bertie Ahern.  

“The idea that Bertie Ahern, the architect of the current economic collapse should end up making profits from the forests of Ireland should be vigorously opposed by everyone.

“Privatising our state assets is no way of dealing with the economic crisis.  It will lead to job losses and wage reduction which will in turn lead to further job losses.  Coillte is still a profitable company that pays a dividend to the state.” he said.

Cllr Bree proposed the following motion which received the backing of the Council: "Recognising the significant economic, environmental, health, and tourism benefits of our public forests and concerned that the EU/IMF deal could lead to the sale of state assets, this Council confirms its support for the continued public ownership of Coillte and opposes any attempt to privatise the company and sell off our state forests.”

COUNCIL BACKS BREE MOTION ON STUDENT NURSES

At its meeting this month the members of Sligo County Council unanimously endorsed a motion tabled by Cllr Declan Bree, calling on the new Government to immediately restore the pay of working fourth year student nurses/midwives to 80% of the minimum of the current staff nurse scale.

Proposing his motion Cllr Bree said “The outgoing Government in addition to pay cuts, pension levy and increased taxation, which applied to all public servants, imposed a further savage pay cut on working fourth year student nurses/midwives.

“Over the years fourth year working student nurses/midwives were paid 80% of the minimum staff nurse scale for the duration of the 36 week working placement when the student nurses replaced fully qualified staff.

“However the outgoing Government made a decision to reduce the pay to fourth year working students over a number of years to the point where they would not receive any payment for their services by the year 2015.

“It is unacceptable that student nurses, especially those who work at the frontline of public service, should have to suffer to pay the debts of private banks and bondholders.

“Fianna Fail’s decision to reduce the pay to fourth year student nurses to the point where they will receive nothing is simply outrageous and must be reversed.” said Cllr Bree.



CARERS UNDERVALUED AND UNRECOGNISED

Currently there are almost 2,500 family carers in Sligo.   Many are overburdened, feel undervalued and unrecognised and are unable to have any life of their own, Cllr Declan Bree, told this months meeting of Sligo County Council, where he proposed that the Council call on the new Government to publish the National Carers Strategy and to restore the Carers Allowance to its 2010 level.

“The Carers Association point out that carers in Ireland provide more than 3.7 million hours of care each week.  Replacing this care would cost the Government €2.5 billion each year.” said Cllr Bree.  

“Despite this, it is generally recognised that family carers are one of the most socially excluded groups in Irish society and face significant hardship and disadvantage as a direct result of their care-giving responsibilities. 

“In the most recent budget carers had their weekly allowance cut by a government which re-allocated the monies to pay off the private debts of bankers and speculators.   Surely this is unacceptable in the Ireland of the 21st century.

“Carers have been calling for the publication of the National Carers Strategy for the past number of years.   Despite all the promises the National Strategy still has not seen the light of day.

“In my view it is unacceptable that a carer would suffer financial hardship and disadvantage because he or she provides care to a loved one.  I believe it is time for Government to recognise the value of the work of carers.” Cllr Bree concluded.

BREE DISAPPOINTED WITH VOTE

While pleased with the vote in the Sligo urban area where he came second, Cllr Declan Bree, said today that he was disappointed with the vote from the rural parts of the constituency.

“In order to be successful and attract transfers I required a sufficient amount of first preference votes to stay in the race. 

“In a sense we were squeezed by the two larger parties Sinn Fein and Labour, and the fact that so many former Labour candidates stood as independent candidates also fragmented the vote and the potential for success.

“However at a national level we are very pleased that five of our colleagues in the United Left Alliance, including Joe Higgins and Richard Boyd Barrett, have made the breakthrough and have been elected to the Dail.   This success will now lead to the development of a new movement to represent working class people in its widest sense – the public sector, the private sector, pensioners and young people.

“The United Left Alliance must now establish itself as the real opposition and the real alternative, not just inside the Dail, but outside as well, and I and the Left in Sligo intend to play our full part in that initiative.” said Cllr Bree.

BREE CALLS FOR TRANSFER OF LEFT INDEPENDENT VOTES

 Independent candidate Declan Bree, has called on voters who want to see the cuts in wages, public services and social welfare reversed, to vote for the Independent candidates opposed to the cutbacks.

“The reality is that all the mainstream parties are committed to making ordinary people pay for this crisis.   People who vote number one Independent can give their second, third and fourth preferences to the other Independent candidates thereby maximising the Independent vote.” he said

Cllr Bree, criticised Fine Gael and Labour for failing to support the reversal of the Universal Social Charge. 

“The Universal Social Charge has got to be scrapped, for both moral and economic reasons.” said Cllr Bree.   “There can be no justification for ordinary people, many of whom are already struggling, to pay for the private debts of bankers and speculators.  In the boom times their profits remained in private hands and therefore so should their debts.   Irish taxpayers should not have to pay for their speculative gambling.”

 “The fact is that the Universal Social Charge specifically targets low and middle-income earners as those who will have to pay for these private debts.   People with an income of over €250,000 are actually much better off under this arrangement, as now they only have to pay a 7% rate when they previously had to pay 11%.   It is utterly disgraceful that people earning such huge amounts of money are now better off after the budget, while people earning as little as €77 a week are being punished.” Cllr Bree said.

 “Labour and Fine Gael are supposed to be the opposition parties, but they will not reverse the Universal Social Charge nor will they reverse the cuts in Social Welfare.   They are effectively pursuing the same policies as Fianna Fail.  

 It is obscene that under Fine Gael and Labour, just like Fianna Fail, people earning just €16,000 a year will be paying the same Universal Social Charge rate as Irish millionaires. Not only that, but the charge is fiscally neutral, meaning that the country will not save a single cent by the implementation of the Universal Social Charge.   It is simply a means of placing the burden of debt for our economic crisis not on those who caused the crisis, but on hardworking people in middle-income brackets and the most vulnerable in society.” said Cllr Bree. 

BREE LINKS UP WITH UNITED LEFT ALLIANCE

INDEPENDENT candidate Cllr Declan Bree, has linked up with an alliance of other socialist and independent candidates who are pledged to oppose the government’s austerity measures.   The United Left Alliance is composed of independents and groups who are pressing for the reversal of the cutbacks in wages and social welfare and who are opposed to the bailout of the banks and developers.

Among those involved in the Alliance are Cllr Richard Boyd Barrett, MEP Joe Higgins, Cllr Joan Collins, and the former Tipperary TD Cllr Seamus Healy.

Endorsing Cllr Bree’s bid for a Dail seat in the Sligo/North Leitrim constituency Mr Joe Higgins said: " Considering that all the mainstream parties are determined to make ordinary people pay for the reckless gambling of private banks, we need people with integrity in the Dáil who are willing to stand up for the Irish people and who will place the blame for this crisis where it belongs.   It is essential that people like Declan Bree are elected to the Dáil so we can work together in the fight to reverse the savage cuts in wages and social welfare imposed by Fianna Fail.”

Cllr Bree explained the importance of independents coming together to form an effective opposition to plans to make Irish taxpayers pay for the debts of banks and bondholders.  He said " I am running as an independent because I believe that the mainstream parties are all the same.   They all want to make ordinary people pay for the reckless gambling of private banks and bondholders with even further cuts in wages and social welfare.  

“If elected I plan to work with people like Joe Higgins and Richard Boyd-Barrett and other independents, to provide an effective opposition to these austerity measures.   I stand for the reversal of all the cuts to wages and social welfare.  I believe that our natural resources, gas and oil, should be used for the benefit of the Irish people, and I say that it is time that the wealthy in this country paid their fair share.

“Our alliance is committed to putting the interests of people first by ending the bank bailouts and scrapping the Universal Service Charge. We are also pledged to reversing the cuts in social welfare, education and public services.   Instead we will invest in jobs, housing, health and education. We believe that those who caused this crisis should pay for it, not ordinary people.” said Cllr Bree.

'Candidates Opposed to Cuts Must Come Together' - Bree

 

Independent candidate Councillor Declan Bree, has called for unity in the fightback against the cuts in wages, public services and social welfare.

Cllr Bree said: "The reality is that all the mainstream parties are committed to making ordinary people pay for this crisis.  There is no justification for this whatsoever and it is particularly disappointing that the so-called opposition parties have proposed, much like Fianna Fail, an austerity programme that will see ordinary working families and those in receipt of social welfare paying for the recklessness of bankers and speculators.

“Bailing out the incurred debts of the banks is madness.  Last week the Government gave €800 million to Anglo-Irish’s foreign bondholders.  How many hospital beds could that have opened to the public; how many jobs could that €800 million have created. Obscenely that €800 million is almost equivalent to the budget cuts made to social welfare.

”This highlights the nonsense of the austerity package being pursued by all the establishment parties.  Taking billions of Euros out of the economy and giving it to foreign banks, only deflates the economy further.   People will have less money to spend and this will inevitably result in job losses and therefore higher unemployment – putting an even greater strain on the state’s coffers - and forcing even more of our people into emigration

"In the absence of any sort of real opposition from the mainstream parties, it is of vital importance that candidates throughout the country who wish to stand up in the interests of normal people come together and work as effectively as possible in opposition to these cutbacks.

“I have been in constant contact with candidates both in the North-West and across the country with a view to establishing a coherent opposition to placing the burden of private banking debt onto the Irish people.

"At the moment we are witnessing rises in mortgage interest rates, the implementation of the universal social charge, cuts in wages as well as social welfare.  While banks have been bailed out, there will be no such bail-out for the Irish people.  For my part, I intend to work tirelessly in an effort to reverse these savage cuts and ensure the blame for this crisis is put where it belongs, with the bankers, developers and speculators who have gotten us into this mess." said Cllr Bree.

GROWING GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR SAYS BREE

New research published by Social Justice Ireland reveals how Government polices have increased poverty levels in Ireland and have dramatically increased the gap between rich and poor, Independent candidate, Cllr Declan Bree, said this week.

“The report reveals what many of us already know.   The top 10 per cent of Irish households receive almost a quarter (24.48%) of total disposable income.    Disposable income is the amount of money households have to spend after they have received employment/pension income, paid all their taxes and received any welfare entitlements.

“When the income distribution is broken down we see that the bottom 10% of the population receive just 2.28% of all disposable income.

“The EU/IMF Bailout and the Government’s Four-Year Austerity Plan are continuing the process of supporting the super rich and are set to produce a dramatic increase in poverty and social exclusion.” he said.  

“The so called Universal Social Charge is a new tax that specifically targets working people and a tax which is already creating significant difficulties for many families.   In addition, those who lose their jobs through government mismanagement of the economy are faced with reduced welfare rates.   

“Resources are being taken from the people of Ireland to bailout bankers, speculators and senior bondholders and to increase the incomes of the top 10%.  This process of dispossessing working people by appropriating their resources to pay for activities they had no hand, act or part is unjust, unfair and immoral.” said Cllr Bree.

“Fianna Fail desperately trying to re-invent themselves” Says Bree

Independent candidate Declan Bree has claimed that Fianna Fail candidates are desperately trying to re-invent themselves and he has urged voters to reject all parties who are signed up to the 'consensus for cuts'.  Speaking this week Cllr. Bree stated that one of his main priorities if elected would be to fight for the reversal of all cuts that effect low and middle-income earners.  This would include the reversal of all reductions in wages and welfare payments. 

Cllr. Bree said: "Fianna Fail are desperately trying to re-invent themselves in advance of this election. The reality is that their new leader Micheál Martin has sat at the cabinet table for the last 14 years and has directly supported the policies of Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen.   Likewise, local Fianna Fail Oireachtas members Jimmy Devins, Marc McSharry and Eamon Scanlon have also overseen the bail-out of bankers with taxpayers money, savage cuts to wages and social welfare as well as the removal of the cancer services from Sligo General Hospital.

"Unfortunately, the so-called opposition parties Fine Gael and Labour have also signed up to the consensus for cuts.  They are content to see the burden of debt incurred by reckless banks and bondholders being brought to bear on ordinary Irish citizens who had nothing to do with this crisis.  Like Fianna Fail they are signed up to a consensus for cuts. Labour want to take €4.5 billion out of the economy and cut thousands of jobs and Fine Gael want to take €6 billion out of the economy and cut even more jobs.  There are no tangible policy differences between these two parties and Fianna Fail.  Austerity and taking money out of the real economy will not turn this country around; it will only serve to take money out of the pockets of people who are already struggling.  This is not only completely immoral, it makes no economic sense.  Taking money from low-income earners who spend what they earn in the real economy will cause more shops and businesses to close and that means even more unemployment. 

"It's time we moved away from failed Fianna Fail policies and those who believe cutting wages, jobs and social welfare will solve our problems. If elected, I will do all in my power to fight against these austerity measures and to ensure the blame for this crisis is put firmly where it belongs, with the bankers and speculators whose gambling has destroyed the economy." said Cllr Bree.

DECISION TO TRANSFER CANCER SERVICE AN “OBSCENITY”

The Government decision to persist in transferring the excellent breast cancer services from Sligo to University College Hospital Galway is an obscenity and should not be tolerated by the people of Sligo or Galway, said Galway City councillor Catherine Connolly, when she addressed those attending the Connolly Forum’s annual Easter 1916 Commemoration Ceremony in Sligo on Easter Sunday.

Led by Flag-bearers carrying the Tricolour and the Plough and the Stars, those participating in the ceremony marched from Cairns Drive to the Republican Plot in Sligo cemetery to hear the former Galway Mayor deliver the oration. A small number of Garda Special Branch officers observed the proceedings

“For freedom to have any real meaning in the 21^st century Ireland must have a public health system based on need and not greed and profit.” Cllr Connolly said.

“Currently the ‘Dynamic Duo’ Professor Keane and Minister Mary Harney wish to make Galway a centre of excellence and in the process destroy a centre of excellence in Sligo. In so doing they ignore key telling features that characterise UCHG and make it impossible for it to be a centre of excellence.

“Currently it is impossible to get any precise figures on the overall number of beds in UCHG. The figures provided by the HSE have varied over the past two years from as low as 517 beds up to 670 beds.

“Moreover, the constant confirmation at meetings of the Regional Health Forum, that wards and beds remain closed and/or unoccupied for ‘cost containment’ purposes together with nursing vacancies remaining unfilled makes a mockery of the concept of a centre of excellence.

“In addition to bed and ward closures the figures for the various specialist waiting lists remain extremely high. There are now over 27,000 patients waiting for either in-patient or out-patient treatment for periods up to five years. These figures have been confirmed over and over again in response to questions I have submitted at meeting of the Regional Health Forum” Cllr Connolly said.

“On any given day there are between 20 and 40 patients on trolleys in the public corridors of the Accident and Emergency department of the hospital due to the lack of beds. While outside the hospital the public car park cannot cope with the present capacity of the hospital and this has been acknowledged by the City Council and the public generally to be a disaster.” said Cllr Connolly.

Cllr Declan Bree, who presided at the ceremony, said “We live in a time when there is a deep cynicism and a significant distrust of politics and everything associated with political and economic life in this country.

“In an effort to bailout the banks and property speculators and to prop up the establishment, our National Pension Fund is being raided and squandered. Those who control political and economic power have put their own survival first and will attempt to make not only the present generation but the next generation pay for that survival by putting the county in pawn to international bankers and finance houses.

“The establishment of the National Asset Management Agency is nothing more that a means of shifting the burden of debt from those individuals and institutions that created the present crisis onto the backs of the ordinary people of this country.

“Of the €1.8 billion to be raised in taxes from the Budget €1.4 billion will come from PAYE workers.

“In fact the present situation has all the appearances of a criminal conspiracy among the ruling elite to make working people pay for the deepening crisis. Clearly Fianna Fail and the political and economic establishment believe that the public purse is their own piggy-bank, for them to dip into as often as they see fit. No wonder IBEC has called on ‘citizens to rally in support of the budget’.

“While the Government can find the money to bail out bankers and speculators nothing can be found for cancer services, for our public health services, for special-needs teachers, for disability grants, or to repair run-down schools.

“The hairy old chestnut of ‘we all did well under the Celtic Tiger - so we all must bear the burden and the responsibility for this crisis’ is simply not true, no matter how many times they spin it on the television or across the airwaves.

“Instead of bailing out the banks the government should have nationalised the banks and repudiated their debts.” said Cllr Bree.

Following the oration as a lone piper played a lament, Ms Brenda Barr, laid a wreath on behalf of the Connolly Forum and Mr Brian Scanlon laid a wreath on behalf of the People’s Movement. The ceremony concluded with the National Anthem.

LISBON TREATY CRITICISED

The decision of the Taoiseach and the Government to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty and to reject the result of last June’s referendum was strongly criticised by speakers at a Public Meeting on the Treaty organised by the People’s Movement in Sligo this week.

Mr Kevin McCorry, a member of the National Executive of the People’s Movement said “In last years Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, the No majority represented a greater percentage of voters (53.4%) than voted for Barack Obama (52.9%) in the US Presidential elections. Yet the Irish Government has given a commitment that it will still ratify the Treaty. To do that it must overturn the clear and unequivocal decision of the 862,415 Irish voters who voted against ratification in the June 2008 referendum.

“The Irish Government must hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty because the Irish Supreme Court laid down in a landmark 1987 case that as sovereignty rests with the people in our Republic, only they can surrender it to the EU by referendum or else refuse to surrender it as occurred with the Lisbon referendum. The purpose of last June’s referendum was to change the Irish constitution so as to make EU law superior to Irish law in the areas set out in the Lisbon Treaty.

"By voting No to Lisbon, Ireland is refusing to allow a profoundly undemocratic EU in the form of a Federation to be foisted on the peoples of Europe when opinion polls show that the peoples of most Member States do not want this and would reject it if given the opportunity to vote on it. That is the reason why the Prime Ministers of the EU Member States gave a commitment to one another when they signed the Lisbon Constitution to avoid referendums at all costs.” said Mr McCorry.

Cllr. Declan Bree told the meeting “All of us are now aware that the policies of deregulation, where the market and greed rule the economy, have caused the present economic crisis. These policies are an intrinsic part of Lisbon. The Lisbon Treaty was cut from the very same cloth that caused this economic catastrophe

“Within hours of the referendum result being announced last June the European elite in Brussels, Berlin and Paris, and the Irish establishment, bankers and speculators, were insisting that the Treaty was still alive and that Ireland must vote again. These are the same people who were telling us that the Lisbon Treaty would enhance democracy in the European Union and these are the same people who are largely responsible for the chaos this county finds itself in today.

“At the end of the referendum count last June, the Taoiseach Brian Cowen said ‘The will of the people as expressed at the ballot box is sovereign. The Government accepts and respects the verdict of the Irish people’. However, within a very short period he and the leadership of Fianna Fail reneged on that commitment and said that the ratification process must continue.

“The fact is that a second Lisbon referendum will be on exactly the same Treaty which we rejected last June. Not one single word will be changed in the Treaty. Not one legal obligation will be changed. The same Lisbon Treaty will again be presented to the people of Ireland for ratification.” said Cllr Bree.

Mr Brian Scanlon, who presided at the meeting, said the Lisbon Treaty was a bad deal for Ireland. “It gives the EU too much power and reduces our ability to stop decisions that are not in Ireland’s interests”.

SLIGO MEETING CELEBRATES CUBAN REVOLUTION

“This year Cuba celebrates not just the 50th anniversary of the Revolution but fifty years of revolution. It has secured a standard of living for its people undreamed of in other countries in the region and in many instances surpasses the levels of social welfare available in the so-called developed countries.” the Cuban political activist Ms Nancy Coro Aguiar, told a public meeting organised by the Connolly Forum in Sligo this week

“This has been achieved against all the odds. Cuba has survived against all the predictions of friends and foes alike. Suffering aggression from the U. S. and its allies Cuba did not interrupt its revolution. It responded by adopting measures considered necessary to achieve its primary aim – the survival of the revolution – and then, where possible, the development of the revolution.

“Cubans have welcomed Barack Obama's election, but they are not expecting dramatic changes from the new US president. Whatever his personal preferences, he must work within the US system and he must take account of Congress.” she said.

“During his election campaign, Obama pledged to close the jail at Guantanamo Bay, but at no time did he say that he was going to return that territory to Cuba. President Obama proposes to return to the days of Clinton – nothing further, but that’s progress” she said.

Cllr Declan Bree, who presided at the meeting said “the illegal blockade of Cuba, imposed and maintained by the United States in defiance of international law, in defiance of United Nations resolutions, in defiance of European Union resolutions, and in defiance of world opinion, can only be described as economic blackmail that makes a mockery of international principles governing peaceful co-existence.

“While large sections of the population of many countries in central and Latin America still suffer poverty, homelessness, starvation, illiteracy and lack of basic sanitation and health care – the reality has been and still is that Cuba is the exception, which through the determined efforts of its people has freed itself from foreign domination and created a society based on social justice and has a system of free health and education admired through-out the world.” said Cllr Bree.

SLIGO COUNTY COUNCIL CALLS FOR REFERENDUM DECISION TO BE HONOURED

Sligo County Council has unanimously adopted a motion submitted by Cllr Declan Bree, which calls on the European Union and its member-states to accept the verdict of the Irish people and rejects the calls for a further referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon. It was also agreed that the resolution be circulated to all other councils.

Speaking at the Council meeting Cllr Bree said, "In last months Referendum the people of Ireland exercised their right as citizens of a sovereign nation to reject the Lisbon Treaty.   The Lisbon Treaty is now dead.  The rules are absolutely clear.   If all 27 member states do not pass the Lisbon Treaty it does not pass into law.

"However within hours of our referendum result being announced the European elite in Brussels, Berlin and Paris, were insisting that the Treaty is still alive, that the ratification process should continue and that Ireland must vote again.

"Some of these people were the same people that were telling us that the Lisbon Treaty would enhance democracy in the European Union

"The arrogance of the European elite in calling for a re-run of our referendum clearly confirms that they have learned nothing and have no respect for democracy.

"The Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, spoke clearly after the result of the referendum was announced when he said ‘the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box is sovereign. The Government accepts and respects the verdict of the Irish people’.

"We must now insist that the European elites accept and respect the will of the Irish people as expressed at the ballot box, just as they accepted the will of the French and Dutch people when they rejected the precursor to the Lisbon Treaty.

"I therefore propose that 'Recognising that the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box is sovereign, and recognising that if all member states of the EU do not ratify the Lisbon Treaty it does not pass into law, and further recognising that the people of Ireland exercised their rights as citizens to reject the Lisbon Treaty, this Council rejects the calls from Europe to re-run the Lisbon Treaty referendum, and we call on the EU Commission, the EU Council of Ministers, the EU Parliament and the authorities in the other EU states to accept and respect the verdict of the Irish people, as they accepted the will of the French and Dutch people following their decision to reject the EU Constitution.'   Cllr Bree's motion was seconded by Cllr Sean MacManus of Sinn Fein and was unanimously adopted by the Council.

REFERENDUM - A WONDERFUL RESULT FOR IRELAND AND FOR EUROPE

This is a wonderful result for Ireland and for Europe, said Cllr Declan Bree, the campaign Director for the People’s Movement, following the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.

“The establishment here in Ireland aided and abetted by the European elite thought that they could take the people of Ireland for granted. They thought they could brow beat and frighten people into voting yes. They have got their answer loud and clear.

“The establishment and in particular the leadership of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour and the Greens have lost touch with the ordinary people. And it is clear that the leadership of the IFA, and the ICTU aren’t far behind.” said Cllr Bree.

“Did they really think that the people of Ireland were going to surrender their sovereignty and sell their souls in exchange for a flawed Treaty that was essentially already rejected by the people of France and the Netherlands.

“I wish to pay tribute to all those participated in the campaign against the Treaty – despite the odds and the David and Goliath battle, they have succeeded. I would particularly pay tribute to all those people who voted No.

“I know today that ordinary people all over Europe will be rejoicing at this decision. The citizens of the other 26 EU states have been denied the opportunity to vote in a Referendum and they looked to Ireland in the hope that we would say No to Lisbon.

“We have now delivered for Ireland and for Europe.” Cllr Bree said.

“And we must now ensure that the Government, Fine Gael and Labour and the Brussels elite respect the decision of the Irish people. The Lisbon Treaty is dead. There can be no re-run of this referendum. The people of Ireland have spoken - they have rejected the Lisbon Treaty and what it stands for. Should there be any attempt to ignore the decision of the people it will lead to a situation where ordinary people will lose whatever remaining confidence they have in the democratic and political process in this country.

“This is a great day for Ireland and for the people of the European Union - Democracy has triumphed - the people have triumphed.” Cllr Bree said.