SF condemns Government policy on Nice

Sinn Fein has accused the Government of continuing the process of ratifying the Nice Treaty "in direct defiance of the expressed…

Sinn Fein has accused the Government of continuing the process of ratifying the Nice Treaty "in direct defiance of the expressed wishes of the Irish people".

Speaking at the launch of a policy document on the EU, party chairman, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin described the situation as a "disgrace" and challenged the other parties to state publicly they will respect and implement the Nice result in the next Dáil.

He said the Nice Treaty result showed people have real concerns about the future direction of Europe.

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A key concern of the electorate, over the last number of years, is the ongoing militarisation of the EU and the impact of this on our neutrality.
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Mr Aengus O Snodaigh

"Sinn Fein believes that the next government must as a matter of urgency address the democratic deficit which currently blights the EU," he said.

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Dublin South Central candidate Mr Aengus O Snodaigh said Fianna Fáil’s declaration on neutrality was "meaningless" in light of the Government’s commitment of troops to the EU’s rapid reaction force.

Mr O’Snodaigh said the Nice Treaty result means the Government "has a clear democratic obligation to withdraw" from such a force.

He said: "A key concern of the electorate, over the last number of years, is the ongoing militarisation of the EU and the impact of this on our neutrality."

Mr O’Snodaigh said his party would bring forward legislation in the next Dail to enshrine neutrality in the Constitution.

Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Eoin Burke-Kennedy is Economics Correspondent of The Irish Times