Sinn Féin Vice-President to Address Public Meeting in Cork Sinn Féin Vice-President Mary Lou McDonald will be in Cork this Wednesday campaigning for a No vote in the referendum on the European Austerity Treaty. She is to be the main speaker at a public meeting organised by Sinn Féin at 8pm in the Imperial Hotel. Inviting members of the public to attend, Cllr Chris O’Leary said that to pass the Fiscal Treaty would institutionalise austerity and prolong the recession. “The Treaty requires member countries’ budgets to be balanced or in surplus, which in Ireland’s case would involve an additional €6 billion in cuts and tax increases after the current austerity programme ends in 2015. What is more, it would force Ireland to reduce its debt to GDP ratio from 120% to 60% after 2018. This would commit us to at least a further decade of austerity after that date.” “The last four years have shown that austerity is not working. Instead of economic recovery, we have mass unemployment, soaring emigration, and a domestic economy that continues to decline. Imposing these policies across Europe, as this treaty seeks to do, will simply push the entire continent into recession and further delay Ireland’s economic recovery.” “This is a vote with huge implications for Ireland’s future and I hope people will come along Wednesday evening to hear Mary Lou outline the arguments against the Treaty.” Ms McDonald will be available to speak to the press before Wednesday’s meeting. For further information or comment contact Cllr Chris O’Leary @ 087-2794307