Power to choose an alternative to austerity taken away from people
More power transferred from elected governments to the European Commission

At a photo call at the Dail today the United Left Alliance said that
the Austerity Treaty represented a fundamental attack on democratic
rights. By enshrining right wing economic dogma in Irish law it will
deprive the electorate of the right to choose governments which oppose
austerity.

Paul Murphy MEP said

“The Austerity Treaty represents an extremely serious attack on
democracy. By giving  constitutional protection to the  deficit
target, the Treaty destroys people’s right to choose an alternative
policy. What they want to create is a situatione where you can have
any government you want, as long as it drives austerity. We are
calling on people to reject this assault on our democratic rights by
voting No on 31 May”.

Richard Boyd Barrett TD said

“The establishment across Europe knows that austerity is intensely
unpopular. This was seen again this weekend with a defeat for Merkel
in state elections in Germany. As a result, they are trying to write
austerity policies into law in such a way that they can’t simply be
voted out. German Chancellor Angela Merkel spelt out this when she
said: ‘The debt brakes will be binding and valid forever. Never will
you be able to change them through a parliamentary majority.’ They
want to remove people’s right to vote for an alternative policy.

Seamus Healy TD said

“Basic democratic rights have been ripped up by the European elite in
the course of this crisis. Elected governments have been replaced by
governments by bankers for bankers in Italy and Greece. Even Angela
Merkel’s reaction to the Greek election results shows a complete lack
of respect for democratic rights. Now they want to go further with
this Treaty, which transfers yet more power from elected governments
to the unelected and unaccountable European Commission. Article 5 in
effect enables countries to be placed into administration, with real
power over budgets passing to the Commission and Council.”

The United Left Alliance is calling on the electorate to vote NO in
massive numbers. They must send a clear signal that they will not give
up their right to elect governments which are for public investment
and against cuts and austerity