International

“It suited Brussels to have the Irish think that Ireland and the whole of Europe would be plunged into disaster in the event of a second 'no' to this European Constitution-light," says Dennis de Jong, leader of the SP group in the European Parliament. "Unfortunately for them, the vote still doesn't mean that the Lisbon Treaty has definitely been adopted."

On 2nd October the Irish people will have the chance to express their views on the Lisbon Treaty, or on the European Constitution minus anthem and flag. It is commendable that the Irish, at least, have the right to speak out on this important treaty. This right has been denied us in our own different countries, in the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, for fear of a rejection. At the same time it seems strange that, after the first referendum, in which a clear majority of the population of the Irish Republic voted against the treaty, a second referendum must follow. You would have thought that no was no, and not that any no must eventually be followed by a yes.

On 2nd October Ireland will vote on the Lisbon Treaty, the second version of the rejected European Constitution. The most important question for the Irish people is whether the Treaty will put an end to Irish neutrality. This was the conclusion which Harry van Bommel brought back from a conference in Shannon, in the west of Ireland.

On Friday I travel for the third time to Ireland in order to offer my help to our allies there in their struggle against a federal, neoliberal Europe. The Irish will be able, unlike we Dutch, to express their views on the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum, scheduled for October 2nd. Experts know that this treaty is in fact the same as the rejected European Constitution. Amendments to it are no more than cosmetic in nature.

The SP will put its knowledge and experience at the disposal of the Irish 'no' campaign, which is calling on the Irish people to reject the Lisbon Treaty. The European Union is investing €180 million in the hope of persuading the Irish to say 'yes' to a treaty which they have already rejected once. The SP sees this as misuse of taxpayers' money and, in response, is looking to lend the 'no' camp its support, offering it the benefit of the experience gained in the successful campaign for a 'no' vote in the Netherlands' own referendum of 2005, which resulted in the rejection of the European Constitution, a proposal almost identical to the Lisbon Treaty.

If there is to be a new and revised law on referenda, it must make it possible to organise a popular vote on any proposed new EU treaties, according to the SP. SP Member of Parliament Ronald van Raak gave the party's views in a discussion of a proposal for a new law on consultative referenda from three MPs. The three represent Parliament's two left of centre parties, the Green Left and Labour, and the centrist D66.

Speech on the European Treaty by Hans van Heijningen, SP general secretary, at the conference of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, Saturday 29th November in Dublin

He came from Ireland solely to explain to the Euro-MPs flooding in to hear him that the Irish 'No' meant 'No'. "The Treaty is dead," he said some five times, because there are even now politicians who believe the Irish people's decision was a piece of advice from which you can deviate. The Irish pronounced themselves, in June 2008 in a completely clear fashion, to be against the Treaty of Lisbon. "They seem to be immune to the ballot box" sighed Declan Ganley. There are politicians who have developed resistance to citizens who think differently to them, to the extent that they are immune to disappointing election results.

The Senate voted on Tuesday by a large majority to endorse the Lisbon Treaty, successor to the European Constitution rejected three years ago by the Dutch people. SP Senate leader Tiny Kox drew Premier Jan Peter Balkenende's attention to the contradiction between the parliamentary yes and the popular no of 2005, when two-thirds of the electorate voted against the European Constitution. "The two houses of Parliament form the elected representation of the Dutch people," said Senator Kox, "but the Dutch people feel on this point that they are not represented, That should cause you concern."