Getting Down and Dirty with Coir

Sarah McInerney at the Sunday Times went canvassing with Coir for her piece in today’s paper. They wouldn’t let her tag along officially so she posed as a volunteer. While Brian Hickey doesn’t come across wonderfully – and there is more on this lot over at Ciaran Cuffe’s blog – there is little hint of the style of campaigning we see on the ground. As Suzy writes in her excellent post over at Maman Poulet, the politics of the death panel has arrived.

From McInerney:

Hickey followed the man into his living room and launched into his pitch. The Lisbon treaty would give huge power to Europe, including the ability to change Irish laws, he explained. The man listened intently. “So, will we just be a big state, like America?” he asked. “Because I wouldn’t mind that to be honest, if it would help with the recession.”

Hickey tried a different tack. The treaty would also give Europe the power to change Ireland’s corporate-tax rates, to bring down the minimum wage, and put our family laws in jeopardy, he said.

The man looked confused. “But I thought it would bring jobs? Will it not do that?” he asked. “That’s what all the politicians are saying. Why are they all saying to vote Yes?”

Hickey said that Brian Cowen would follow any instructions from Nicholas Sarkozy, the French president, if it meant he could stay on the Council of Ministers, and feel important. The dig at the taoiseach struck a cord. “Sure you can’t trust the politicians after what they’ve done to the country,” agreed the man, nodding with determination. “All right, it’s a No vote then. Thanks. I wasn’t sure what to do.”

Hickey walked away pleased: one more voter convinced. “It’s not over yet,” he said.

This is the group however that have been perpetrating much more extreme lies on the public to get them to vote No. From Suzy’s excellent post:

While I was on holidays a work colleague texted me to say she had been canvassed by Cóir. The canvasser told her that if Lisbon was passed that she would be put down like a dog. My colleague has cerebral palsy. She didn’t argue back and managed to move away. I was shocked but not really surprised that the campaign had taken this course. People with disabilities have been targeted by Cóir and Youth Defence campaigners before in abortion campaigns telling us our right to life would be affected if Abortion was permitted but not able (not wanting) to talk about our lives and the rights we need to live them.

Living in Dublin City Centre it’s not difficult to find Cóir on the ground so I knew I would be able to try to explore it further – whether I got any answers would be another thing!

So at the GPO yesterday it was not difficult to get a word with Brian T. Hickey a principle spokesman from Cóir. He said that the canvasser should not have said tha tabout being put down but that it was possible that Euthanasia would be introduced because 2 EU countries have it and the European Court could rule that Ireland should have it too. He scrambled a bit as he introduced what I call the Cóir question mark – it might happen because Cóir say it might even if everyone else says it won’t.

Further questioned Hickey could not speak to the specific parts of the Lisbon Treaty that protect people with disabilities. I was then approached by another Cóir campaigner who overheard me to say that I was lucky to be alive because the HSE were bringing doctors over to train doctors and nurses here in Euthanasia. As another Cóir campaigner tried to put a sticker on my mobility scooter I backed away and revved up and took off as fast as I could.

GO and read the whole thing as she goes into detail as to why they are talking utter lies and rubbish.