Lisbon 'no' posters coming from same source as 'Hello Divorce: Goodbye Daddy'
Issued : Wednesday 14 May, 2008
Statement by Joe Costello TD
Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with responsibility for Trade and Development
"Some of the most deliberately misleading posters to have appeared advocating a 'no' vote in the referendum on the Lisbon Reform Treaty are coming from those associated with the infamous 'Hello Divorce, Goodbye Daddy', posters put up during the 1996 referendum on divorce.
"Over the past few days a huge number of posters have appeared, particularly in the Dublin area, carrying such messages as 'People Died for Your Freedom - Don't Throw it All Away' and 'Lisbon: It Will Cost You More Tax: Less Power'. On first sight the posters do not appear to have any publisher - which would be a breach of the Electoral Acts - but a closer inspection reveals that the publisher is listed in the tiniest possible print.
"The publisher is in fact an organisation calling itself 'Coir', which shares an office at 60a Capel St, Dublin, with a number of ultra right wing, fundamentalist organisations such as Youth Defence and the Pro-Life Alliance. 60a Capel St was also the registered address of Mr. Justin Barrett's Mother and Child Campaign during the Nice Referendum Campaign in 2002. During the 2002 campaign it emerged that Mr. Barrett had association with extreme right-wing, quasi-fascist organisations in Europe.
"Many of these people have been associated with opposition to every development in the European Union and every single social reform in this country. The same people brought us the 'Hello Divorce: Goodbye Daddy' poster in 1996 which is typical of the misleading and alarmist tactics they specialise in.
"We now know that despite what that poster suggested, the introduction of divorce has not led to the collapse of marriage and that women are twice as likely to file for divorce as men. I am confident that their message on Lisbon will prove to have been just as misleading as their message on divorce.
"Judged by the number of posters appearing this organisation appears to have vast sums of money at its disposal. I assume that they will be registering with the Standards in Public Office Commission as a 'third party' as required under law, but in the meantime I am challenging them to disclosure the source of their funding for this campaign."
