Lisbon: bad for all Europeans.

Time for change - the first step is to say No.

Campaigners from across Europe today call for a No vote to the Lisbon Treaty. The crisis in Ireland is mirrored throughout Europe, with banks being bailed out, over 20 million unemployed and pressure to cut social spending. At the same time European forces are increasingly embroiled in unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

There are no jobs to be had by voting yes. The multinationals are here to maximise profits. They made €17.5bn here last year, so another No won't scare them off. Lisbon would make the recession worse by giving the EU further power to restrict government spending, which means fewer people can buy goods and services – so more jobs are lost.

This is the time to change direction, away from the failed neoliberalism which has caused the crisis and away from militarism – both of which are embodied in Lisbon. It's time for the peoples of Europe to determine the direction of the European project, not the political elite. We have already rejected this Treaty, and most of the peoples of Europe are being denied the right to vote upon it.

The priorities in Lisbon show why we should say No. Article 14 would make it easier for private operators to force their way into public services; while Article 207 would increase the presence of profiteering multinationals in our health and social services. Meanwhile Article 136 would give the EU more powers to restrict public spending; and Article 63 would make it harder to control financial speculation by hedge funds – beloved by Commissioner McCreevy but the root of current financial turbulence.

The Growth and Stability Pact – the prime reason for the proposed Bórd Snip cuts – is making the recession worse by enforcing cuts at a time when public spending is needed to stimulate the economy. At the same time, The European Central Bank's conditions for the NAMA loans stipulate that banks should not be “diverted from profit maximisation to alternative goals”, like full employment, public services or the environment. Lisbon would reinforce these business priorities.

Military spending is the only area where Lisbon demands an increase – no mention of health or education. And neutrality is completely out the window. Article 31 makes clear that decisions under the Common Foreign and Security Policy would be very difficult to veto. And if we disagreed with a decision, the loyalty and gagging clauses in Article 24 mean that Irish representatives could not speak out at places like the UN. An EU armed force is envisaged in Article 42. The military industries are incorporated into European treaty law as the Eureopan Defence Agency – to which all must contribute. A sub-group of well-armed states can form their own alliance within the EU, linking up to NATO, and go to war outside Europe – using the resources provided by all EU countries. Willie O'Dea has just published a Bill saying Ireland could join such a military alliance by a decision of the Dáil – no mention of a referendum. Nor is a UN mandate is needed for EU military action.

On top of this there would be an unelected president, a foreign minister who would speak in our name; and reduced voting power for Ireland and other small states in the key decision-making body – the Council of Ministers.

The much-vaunted Charter of Fundamental rights does nothing to put the rights of workers, women or the poor on a par with business rights. The current hierarchy of rights, which according to the European Trades Union Confederation puts business above workers, is not changed. Nor is there a Social Progress Clause, which the ETUC requested, that would give priority to workers rights in any conflict with big business.

Lisbon offers more of the same policies which has brought the European and Irish economies into crisis. It is time to break from the neoliberalism and militarism embodied in Lisbon. A No vote is the first step to an alternative for Ireland and for the peoples of Europe.

Further comment:

Brendan Young 085 713 1903

Mike Youlton 01 8727912