With the bulk of Slugger emphasis on the Lisbon Treaty referendum firmly centred on the mainly electronic campaign of Libertas you could almost be forgiven for thinking their wasn’t a much larger element in the No campaign; a campaign based on left and progressive concerns about an increasingly federalised Europe involved in an ongoing sovereignty grab. The left campaign which was fought on the traditional battleground for winning votes in the Twenty Six Counties, the doorstep, unlike the purely electronic campaign of the right, was based around the CAEUC and involved Communist Party of Ireland, éirígí, Irish Anti War Movement, Peace & Neutrality Alliance, People Before Profit, Peoples Movement, National Platform, Sinn Féin, Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party and the Workers Party.
These are the groups that ran the public meetings both in the 26 counties and the 6 counties, the groups that engaged in the agitprop actions that embarrassed the establishment parties and the groups that had a traditional constituency to motivate – the working class.
Working class constituencies came out in force recording the largest No margins in areas like Dublin South Central, Mid-West and South-West while the richer areas of Dublin South and Dun Laoghaire, more open to a right wing group like Libertas, recorded the highest Yes votes
So while some may think it was a victory for the right, I pause, look at the results and think to myself it was the Left wot won it.
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
