PRESS RELEASE: International Alliance of Non-Governmental Organizations and Independent Political Parties urges Irish voters to say "No" to Lisbon Treaty
The European Referendum Initiative, an international alliance of non-governmental organizations and independent political parties with supporters in all 27 European Union countries, is urging Irish voters to vote "No" in Ireland's upcoming second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. Expressing its deep concern that the passing of the treaty would lead to the takeover of the economic, social and even private lives of the European people by corporate interests, it says that by voting “No” to the treaty the Irish people would be representing the hopes of all Europeans for a democratic future.
Paul Anthony Taylor, External Relations Director of the Dr. Rath Health Foundation and the campaign's coordinator, said: “The repeat of the Irish referendum is not simply a matter affecting Ireland. To the contrary, it concerns the ongoing battle between the peoples of Europe who want democracy and the European political elite who are designing a dictatorship on behalf of corporate economic interests; namely, the pharmaceutical, chemical and petrochemical cartels. Whilst it has been claimed that the Lisbon Treaty would supposedly make Europe more democratic, the fact is that with the exception of Ireland, voters in every other European Union country have been denied the right to vote on it. Basing the future of an entire continent and 500 million people upon such profoundly undemocratic foundations as these would be a dangerous step towards the establishment of a fully-fledged dictatorship and I strongly urge the Irish people to vote ‘No’ on October 2.”
Scott Tips, President and Legal Counsel for the National Health Federation, commented: "The centralization of power into the hands of a few has ever been the bane of individual liberty. Yet the Lisbon Treaty, if put into place, would do just that, concentrate even more power into the hands of a Soviet-style politburo, making decisions for 500 million souls. The upcoming vote in Ireland on the Treaty is not just about Ireland, it's about all of Europe. And only the Irish have the opportunity to save Europe! The cry in Ireland this time around is that the Irish must vote yes to "save their jobs." But with severe economic hard times about to re-emerge as the World passes from the eye of the Storm back into the Storm itself, this is exactly what the Irish must not do if they want to save their economy. Tying the Irish economy even more tightly to a distant, centralized economic bureaucracy over which the Irish will have even less control is a sure-fire recipe for economic disaster."
Chris Caton, on behalf of ‘Save Our Herbs’, the Campaign for the Protection of Herbal Medicine, added: “We strongly support this plea, on behalf of all disenfranchised Europeans, for the Irish People to reject the Lisbon Treaty for the second time, having witnessed the damage that undemocratic European Union legislation is having on our natural health freedoms throughout Europe. In 2005, for example, the passing into law of the European Union’s Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive culminated in the British Government changing the UK’s 1968 Medicines Act and introducing a Traditional Herbal Medicines Registration Scheme. The results of this legislation are yet to be fully realised, but, in 2011, are set to strip the shelves of thousands of traditional herbal medicine preparations. These changes, and others affecting traditional medicine practitioners, are likely to wipe out our traditional knowledge, medicines and freedom of choice, and have a detrimental effect on the environment.”
Louise McLean, Editor of Zeus Information Service, said: "Last June, the people of Ireland voted 'No' in their Referendum. Now they are being asked to vote again because 'No' was the wrong answer. If they had voted 'Yes', there would be no second vote. Does this mean that if they vote 'No' again, they will be forced to vote a third time? This is a ridiculous situation and shows how dictatorial the EU would be when and if all 27 member states are made to live under its Napoleonic laws."
Sepp Hasslberger, of the Italian consumers association La Leva di Archimede, concluded: "My message to our Irish friends is - please don't let us down. We were not asked, like so many others in Europe, about the treaty of Lisbon. Our hopes are pinned on your decision."
The European Referendum Initiative is campaigning for citizens to have the right to vote in referendums whenever significant changes to laws affecting them are made at either national or European level. Thus far, over a quarter of a million people across Europe have signed its petitions. The campaign is backed by the Dr. Rath Health Foundation; La Leva di Archimede; the National Health Federation; the Party for People and Spirit; Save Our Herbs - the Campaign for the Protection of Herbal Medicine;
the Violets; and Zeus Information Service.
Further details can be found at www.eu-referendum.org
CONTACTS
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
Sourethweg 9
6422 PC Heerlen
Netherlands
Tel: +31 457 11 11 00
Email: info@dr-rath-foundation.org
Website: http://www4.dr-rath-foundation.org/
La Leva di Archimede
Rampa Brancaleone 58
00165 Rome
Italy
Tel: +39 06 63 58 84
Email: archimede@laleva.cc
Website: http://www.laleva.org
National Health Federation
The National Health Federation
P.O. Box 688
Monrovia
California 91017
USA
Tel: +1 626 357 2181
Email: contact-us@thenhf.com
Website: http://www.thenhf.com/
Party for People and Spirit
The Party for People and Spirit
Netherlands
Email: henkbosveld@kpnplanet.nl
Website: http://www.mensenspirit.nl
Save Our Herbs - the Campaign for the Protection of Herbal Medicine
Email: contactus@saveourherbs.org.uk
Website: http://www.saveourherbs.org.uk
The Violets
Die Violetten
Bundesgeschaeftsstelle
Wohnbacher Str. 12
61200 Woelfersheim
Germany
Tel: +49 6036 98 36 619
Fax: +49 6036 98 36 618
Email: presse@die-violetten.de
Website: http://die-violetten.de
Zeus Information Service
Email: news@zeusinfoservice.com
Website: http://www.zeusinfoservice.com
EDITORS NOTES
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
The Dr. Rath Health Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving human health on a global scale through research, education and the defence of patients' rights to choose natural health therapies. The scientific discoveries of its founder, Dr. Matthias Rath, a pioneer in natural health research, offer major breakthroughs in the natural approach to heart disease, cancer and other health concerns. His vision, backed-up by his extensive research, has unleashed the potential of controlling these diseases through natural means. As a result, the Foundation has been instrumental in promoting natural health education and people's health rights throughout the world.
La Leva di Archimede
La Leva di Archimede, an association for freedom of choice and correct information, represents natural health enthusiasts, consumers, health professionals and distributors of natural health products. La Leva was founded in 1998 and has worked to protect access to nutrition-based prevention and natural healing in Italy. We provide information through our popular multi-language websites and co-ordinate our actions with similar associations in other countries. We believe medical reform is long overdue. Profit-driven pharmaceutical control of medicine and reckless pollution of the environment have reduced our freedom to choose and have led to widespread poor health despite huge public health spending.
National Health Federation
Established in 1955, the National Health Federation is an international consumer-education, health-freedom organization working to protect individuals' rights to choose to consume healthy food, take supplements, and use alternative therapies without government restrictions. With consumer members all over the world, and a Board of Governors and Advisory Board containing representatives from 7 different countries, the Federation is unique as being the only consumer health-freedom organization in the world to enjoy official observer status (able to speak out for health freedom) at meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the highest international body on food standards.
Party for People and Spirit
The Party for People and Spirit is a new Dutch political party that was founded in March 2008. It believes that a new dimension in politics - based on a deep realization of unity, wholeness and inspiration - is now a political necessity. The party aims for solidarity, cooperation and openness, and considers that only deep understanding, genuine concern and open minds can lead to decisions and solutions that place the wellbeing and happiness of citizens as a central objective. It wishes to see the advent of a new form of politics that views the citizen as a partner and, as much as possible, connects with not only their material, social, emotional and spiritual needs, but also with nature.
Save Our Herbs - the Campaign for the Protection of Herbal Medicine
Save Our Herbs formed in July 2009 in response to the increasing threat to our traditional herbal medicines - 'the people's medicine' - and our right to practise as traditional herbalists. Our ethos, simply put, is to help preserve the people's access to and ability to choose traditional herbal medicines; traditional practice; traditional philosophies and knowledge; and consequently help protect the environment.
The Violets
Since 2001, The Violets political party has actively worked towards bringing more spirituality into political activities, as a means of incorporating holistic solutions for the basic needs of all citizens. Based in Germany, they perceive their spiritual world view to be in line with modern science, but complemented by spiritual non-materialistic dimensions. The party's special focus is on holistic politics through careful handling of the world’s natural resources and the needs of the people. It also includes the introduction of an unconditional basic income to ensure lifelong minimum financial security. Another important aspect of the party’s policy is direct democracy through the implementation of referendums on important issues.
Zeus Information Service
Zeus Information Service came into being in February 2003. Its purpose is to help unify the Worldwide Health Freedom movement – people and organisations who believe in the value of natural health therapies and want to continue using them. The subject of health is extremely wide ranging and Zeus presents articles on a host of key subjects affecting it.
Pleace vote for democracy and against the treaty of lisbon
Dear irish people!
Pleace stop the treaty of lisbon! Is is antidemocartic, militaristic, antisocial. The disadvantages are much bigger, than the advantages. The EU can live with its actuell laws. They should only be changed into a democratic direction. With the treaty of lisbon, the european council is able to change this treaty in great parts without asking the parliament. This is nearly the same law, which mades the nationl- rassistic- party of Germany so powerfull in our country in the year 1933. Our basic law (the german constitution) and all other european constitutions should not be replaced by the treaty of lisbon. But the new treaty tries to bring all right- sytstems in a lower level than the new european right. Here is my informationpage: http://sites.google.com/site/euradevormwald/english . When you have some more english information, pleace send me a link or text or write it into the visitors book of my page. And pleace spread this text all over Ireland.
In the hope in your activities for a better Europe, Felix Staratschek, Freiligrathstr. 2, D- 42477 Radevormwald (Germany)