A 'no' vote to Lisbon is a vote for democracy, a vote for real reform in the EU and most importantly a vote against the militarization of Europe.

That's according to Galway City Councillor Catherine Connolly, who outlined her reasons for voting against the Lisbon Treaty at the formal launch of Councillors against Lisbon last Friday.

The Independent Councillor said that as a feminist and practicing barrister, she was "acutely aware of how important and positive the European influence and in particular European legislation has been for Irish women."

However, she castigated the Lisbon Treaty, saying it was "anything but reform" and the "arrogance, deceit and downright hypocrisy" of some European leaders who knew the treaty was the same as the rejected EU Constitution.

Cllr Connolly said to vote yes for Lisbon would be to vote to increase Irish military spending "at a time when health cut backs have threatened to close the University College Hospital Galway for the month of August, when there are unbelievable waiting lists for all specialities and 80 year olds are waiting up to five years for a public bed in St Francis Nursing Home in Galway.

"To vote to progressively increase our military spending as we would be obligated to do under Article 42(3) of the Consolidated Treaty would be an obscenity," she said.

She criticised what she called "a further step in a common foreign and security policy and a common defence policy."

Cllr Connolly said she fully accepts that Ireland has the protection of the procedure known as the triple lock to safeguard our neutrality in relation to a Common Defence Policy. "However there is no such protection in relation to our obligation to increase our military capabilities, in relation to contributing to a start up fund for military activities, to our obligation to show mutual solidarity with another member state if it is the subject of a terrorist attack nor is their any such protection in relation to our obligation to remain silent if other countries decide on a common military policy," she added.

She cited the Treaty's eleven pages devoted to common foreign and security policy, as opposed to "less than half a page" on climate change.

"Furthermore the Charter of Fundamental Rights is a Charter that is very much a Charter of Rights that is conditional on the operation of the Free Market. This was clearly highlighted she said in the very recent decisions of the European Court of Justice and in particular in the Laval and Viking Cases," said Cllr Connolly.

On a more general level, she claimed that "no evidence whatsoever" has been forthcoming to justify the reduction in number of commissioners other than anecdotal evidence that it may become difficult to manage.

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