Old News
The Result of the Lisbon Treaty Referendum in Ireland
The result of the Lisbon Treaty Referendum on the 12th June 2008 was that 53.4% voted against the Treaty while 46.6% voted in favour of the Treaty.
Earthquake in China
The earthquake which occurred in China on 12th May 2008 measured 7.9 on the Richter Scale. It has killed 62, 000 people and has left 5 million homeless.
Nasa's Phoenix Mars Lander sends back pictures
Nasa's Pheonix Mars Lander has sent back pictures from the Northern Artic Plains of Mars. Phoenix travelled for 422 million miles. The voyage lasted almost 10 months.
Association of Surfing Professionals Tour hits Europe
The association of Surfing Professionals Tour hits Europe this summer. On July 10-13 the Super Bock Pro takes place at Cordoama, Portugal. On 5-10 August The Rip Curl Boardmasters competition will take in Newquay, England. On 12-17 August the Sooruz Lacanau Pro will take place in France and on 18-24 the Rip Curl Pro will take place in Hossegor, France.
181 dead in Australian bushfires.
Its the worst natural disaster to hit Australia in over a century. The Police suspect that some of the fires were started deliberately. Many people died in their cars trying to flee and others were killed huddled in their homes.
Barack Obama is President of The United States of America
Democrat Barack Obama won the US Presidential race against John McCain by 52% to 47%.
US Treasury to favor new bank mergers
In a move that could accelerate a shakeout of US banks, The US Treasury Department hopes to spur a new round of mergers by steering some money in its $250 billion rescue package to banks that are willing to buy weaker rivals, according to government officials. The Treasury wants to stabalize and reshape the industry.
"Treasury doesnt want to prop up weak banks", said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. "One purpose of the plan is to drive consolidation".
Second Lisbon Treaty Referendum October 2
The Irish people are being asked to vote on the Lisbon Treaty again on October 2. Did we not give the right answer the first time?
Why Vote No again?
150, 000 people are employed by multinationals in Ireland. The multinationals come here because of our low corporate tax rates. If these low tax rates are raised by European intervention the multinationals will leave Ireland taking these jobs with them. Other EU countries such as France claim that Ireland has gained an unfair advantage in having low corporate tax. Irish EU Commissioner and former Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, admitted in an Irish Independent interview that the EU's 'longterm agenda' is to 'take control of taxation'.
The Lisbon Treaty will help to drive down wages in Ireland. It will allow foreign contractors to bring foreign workers to Ireland and pay them less than the Irish minimum wage. This is happening because the EU Courts have found in a series of judgments - The Ruffert, Laval and Viking and Luxembourg judgments - that the right to earn a living is less important than the right of big business to make a profit even when that means exploiting workers. In the Ruffert Case, a Polish contractor was allowed to bring Polish workers to Germany and pay them less than half the German minimum wage. Protocol 27 and Article 49 of The Lisbon Treaty copperfastens these dreadful judgments smashing workers rights.
We should keep the right to decide our own values. But legal experts have warned that our wishes could be overruled if The Lisbon Treaty is passed. That's because attached to The Lisbon Treaty is The Charter of Rights that is legally binding on all member states including Ireland. Lisbon makes us all citizens of a new EU superstate and The Charter of Rights gives the EU Court the power to decide laws and social policies for all citizens - including the Irish people. So if Lisbon passes the wishes of the Irish people can be overruled on important areas such as 'the right to life', marriage and adoption, raising children, the right to strike, euthanasia and other important issues.