'NO' to Lisbon urged by aviation millionaire

Aviation multi-millionaire, and FINE GAEL friend, ULICK McEVADDY (remember the MARY HARNEY holiday in FRANCE controversy?) has spoken of his "Very difficult" decision to call for a "No" vote in the LISBON TREATY REFERENDUM at a Press Conference in DUBLIN's MERRION HOTEL on SUN 20th APRIL.

He said: "...having read this [Lisbon] Treaty four times ..I am certainly unable to say that it is going to be in any way beneficial to the interests of the Irish people, or the Irish business community.

I have a deep and abiding appreciation of what membership of the EUROPEAN UNION has done for this country ..I understand the desire of many people to "repay" Europe for that support by supporting this latest offering at the ballot box.

On the other hand, I believe that affection and respect for Europe must be repaid with due diligence and thoughtful consideration of what is in Europe's best interests. This document is set to determine the future of Europe for the next 1,000 years. Reading it, I come to the conclusion that it is unwieldy, unclear, incredibly poorly drafted, and will require years of interpretation by lawyers and the EUROPEAN COURTS.

Further, I am troubled by the lack of any meaningful attempt to make Europe more democratic.

These troubles are not assuaged by the fact that across Europe, in many cases in direct contravention of promises by Government, the people of Europe are being denied the chance to voice their opinions on this generation-defining document at the ballot box.

In the case of IRELAND, I am troubled by the very clear risk to our ability to determine our own taxation levels. The risk, identified by LIBERTAS and DECLAN GANLEY, and then confirmed by JOSE BAROSSO this morning, of destination taxes being imposed on Irish business is not one that I think we should take, in the national interest.

There is only one thing clear about this treaty, and that is that it is completely unclear.

Europe needs a constitution and a rulebook that is clear, and gives the people as much input as possible. Ireland and the UNITED STATES both have documents of this nature.

When the leaders of Europe draft something that the ordinary person can understand, and that will not need decades of legal wrangling to determine its effect, I will gladly support it.

On this occasion, however, I am giving my support to Libertas' call for a rejection of this treaty on JUNE 12th".