Lisbon vote to be close

Close call likely in Lisbon vote

Anna-Marie Flynn

THE debate has raged for weeks, but this Thursday the people of the county go to the polls knowing that every vote will count in what is likely to be a close call on the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
A poll which has run on The Mayo News website since last week indicates that there is very strong support on the ground for the No campaign, with 52.5 per cent saying they will vote No, 25 per cent indicating they will vote for a Yes vote, 12.5 per cent stating they will not be voting and ten per cent still undecided.
Sensing that the No campaign has gathered momentum over the last week, the majority of the elected members of Mayo County Council encouraged the public to ratify the Lisbon Treaty at their monthly meeting yesterday afternoon (Monday).
In a one and a half hour debate on the issue, which was not included on the meeting’s agenda, a total of 13 councillors spoke. Fine Gael Party Whip, Cllr Paddy McGuinness, opened the issue on foot of comments on the authority’s annual report and urged the people to vote along party lines to ratify the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. 
Cllr Johnny Mee, in one of the more colourful assertions, said any doubt that was in his mind about voting in favour of Thursday’s referendum was obliterated by the comments of singer Sinead O’Connor on national radio yesterday. He told elected members:“If Sinead O’Connor is voting No then Johnny Mee is voting Yes.”
Cllr Jarlath Munnelly said direction had been shown that 96 per cent of TDs were in favour of Lisbon but added that those campaigning against the Treaty had to be commended on a very well-organised campaign.
While members of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil urged a Yes vote, the No campaign was headed up by Cllrs Gerry Murray, Michael Holmes and Harry Walsh. Cllr Murray said that any ratification would result in ‘relinquishing of sovereignty’. “We spent 800 years trying to unhook ourselves from one empire – now both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are trying to get us into another.”
Despite the IFA supporting a Yes vote, former Chairperson Cllr Michael Holmes said that at the recent meeting of 700 farmers in Knock, whatever the organisation advised, it was clear that farmers will not vote to implement the European agreement. Finally, Cllr Harry Walsh echoed the need for a No vote.
Reaffirming the importance of the issue, Cathaoirleach, Cllr Seamus Weir said it was necessary to facilitate debate. He claimed the confusion among the public was not due to lack of information, as widely suggested, but as a result of ‘the dilution of information’.