One year on from the Lisbon Treaty - where's the jobs?

international | eu | opinion/analysis Thursday October 07, 2010 17:03 by Barry McColgan - Ógra Shinn Féin osfnational at yahoo dot ie 07885569940

We all remember the slogan's so well, 'Yes for Jobs and Investment', from the soldiers of misfortune, 'Yes it's that important' from the latte supping continental sophisticated lot, and even got exposed to a pair of melons and a tight pair of EU branded Speedos in a sexed up poster campaign from the blue shirts, all in promotion and pursuit of a yes vote for the Lisbon Treaty this time last year.

Even Ireland's most lovable entrepreneur, lover of the poor and champion of worker's rights, the modest Michael O'Leary weighed in behind a Yes vote.

And it worked; the scare tactics of 'Ireland needs Europe' and the already mentioned false promises of jobs and investment in a time of severe uncertainty and recession won the yes vote for Lisbon II on the 2nd October last year.

So one year on and despite endless promises and guarantees, the simple straight forward question on everyone's lips has to be, "Where's the jobs and investment?"

Let the Europhiles and the Lisbonites answer that, their blue and gold starred cavalry never came riding over the hill to the rescue. Uncle EU and aunty Lisbon forgot the jobs and investment when they came round for dinner.

The simple fact of the matter is that the Lisbon Treaty was never ever going to secure more jobs, or more investment, all Lisbon was designed to do was to further usurp Irish sovereignty and lessen Ireland's voice in an increasingly centralist European Union.

In lay man's terms, take more power away from Dublin and place it in the hands of bureaucratic Brussels.

And this isn't an article rubbing it in your face, gloating at the fact that we were right, that Lisbon was nothing but a farce, no far from it, I like anyone else who urged a no vote is suffering as much as anyone else, but I suppose at least we knew not to expect the resurgence tipped by those on the 'Fishes and Loaves' camp.

And that's what it would have taken for Lisbon to make a positive impact on Ireland, a miracle, and they knew it.

The Lisbon Treaty was never going to create a stimulus for the economy, the cynical 'Yes to Jobs and Investment' and the many other plaudits afforded to Lisbon by the yes men, was nothing more than exploiting people's sense of vulnerability at a time of economic uncertainty. That's what Fianna Fail and all the other gombeen politician's do best, exploit an opportunity for their own gain.

Hopefully people now see the gombeens for what they are, for the lies that they told and the mess that they have created.

We never promised a no vote would have absolved all of our problems. It wouldn't have, but by rejecting the staid old neo liberal policies of Regan and Thatcher through a firm rejection of Lisbon and by standing up for democracy and giving voice to the 500 million European citizens censored and denied a vote on Lisbon we could have began a forward move towards a social Europe, a Europe that cherishes it's citizens and holds truth, equality, liberty and justice as cornerstones, or as Jame's Connolly put it, "a free federation of free peoples."

The vote has come and gone on Lisbon II, a year has passed and Ireland's still hasn't got its jobs.

If one good thing comes out of the passing of Lisbon, people will realise the lies they were fed and begin to reject the gombeens that have made a living out of it, and bled Ireland dry by hoodwinking everyone and their granny.

Cute whores out!

Barry McColgan
Dermot Crowley/Paula Murphy Ógra Shinn Féin
West Tyrone