The Lisbon treaty is dead. The NO victory in Ireland has thrown into the dust bin of history a Treaty project that was truly a political fraud, as it tried to resuscitate the so-called European constitution which had been rejected by the people of France and the Netherlands.
The NO victory holds great importance and political meaning.
This result represents a significant defeat imposed by the Irish people of the projects to increase neoliberalism, federalism and militarism, which the leaders of the European powers and the economic and financial groups persist on continuing.
A result which is also significant because of the intense campaign by the main European Union leaders, who, following a line of interference, pressures and blackmail on the Irish people, tried in all manners to condition the result of the referendum.
A result which stresses, in a clear way, the reasons of the fear that led those mainly responsible for drawing the Treaty to prevent in most countries the national referendums on the project of the new European Treaty.
Those who now cynically claim that "Europe" cannot remain hostage to three million Irish, deliberately ignore the fact that they prevented millions of other Europeans from voicing their opposition to this Treaty and its aims. But the NO victory also constitutes a significant defeat of those who, like the PS and PSD in our country, tried everything, contrary to what they had promised, to take from the Portuguese the right to have a say. The result of the referendum shows the real reasons that led the PS and the PSD to avoid a debate on the real content and aims of the Treaty and to take refuge in a parliamentary ratification. The NO victory is thus, a defeat of the PS/Socrates government and all those who insisted in towing our country to a Treaty, which at the whim of the great powers and transnational capital, harmed the country.
The PCP salutes with special joy a result which contributes to stop a very dangerous march by the great European powers, especially Germany and France, who, with this project, tried to launch the foundations of a super-State, to strengthen the mechanisms of imperialist intervention in close cooperation with NATO.
The PCP draws attention to the manoeuvres that, similar to those that took place after the popular rejection in France and the Netherlands, aim to ratify a Treaty which is legally dead, trying to confine to Ireland a political meaning that has in fact a European dimension. The result forces an immediate suspension of the ongoing ratification processes.
We salute the people of Ireland who managed to resist the strong pressure, being the sole referendum in this stage of ratification, and the important contribution their participation gave to the struggle in defence of the rights of the workers, to put a stop to the serious decisions by the European Court of Justice against the rights of collective bargaining, strike and wage equality.
With this victory better conditions have been created to put an end to the offensive against social and labour rights, to achieve new victories in the struggle against very serious proposals presently under debate, specially the directive of return and of shame on the immigrants, the directive to extend the work week to 65 hours, the directives on the liberalization of public services and other areas fundamental to development.
The PCP reaffirms its commitment to the struggle for a different Europe, engaged in solidarity, in social justice, in cooperation among the peoples, respecting the principle of sovereign States and equal in rights, in social development and progress and in peace.
