Press Release 29/3/10 from the Peace & Neutrality Alliance
The Secretary General of NATO, Anders Rasmussen at the Brussels Conference has stated that, "Europe must pay more money
towards defence if it is not to become a "paper tiger" (Reuters 27/3/10).
In response Roger Cole, Chair of PANA said:
Press Release 29/3/10 from the Peace & Neutrality Alliance
The Secretary General of NATO, Anders Rasmussen at the Brussels Conference has stated that, "Europe must pay more money
towards defence if it is not to become a "paper tiger" (Reuters 27/3/10).
In response Roger Cole, Chair of PANA said:
"The Celtic Tiger created by our political/media elite with their total commitment to a militarised neo-liberal ideology has all but impoverished the Irish people. So when the Secretary General of NATO calls upon "Europe" to spend more money on weapons of war or become a "paper tiger", PANA has no problem in telling Mr. Rasmussen that we believe the Irish people have had enough of "tigers" paper or celtic. "Europe" or the EU should not have any military dimension of any kind. It should have no military expenditure. The States of the EU should withdraw their armies of occupation from Afghanistan including the the 7 Irish soldiers.
Unlike Rasmussen, PANA does not want "Europe" to become a world power. Ireland was part of a world power before; the British Union and thousands of Irish people were urged on by newspapers like the Irish Times and the Irish Independent, went out and died pointlessly for that Union. To do so once in our history is enough. Far from increasing military expenditure, the states of the EU should accelerate cuts in expenditure and spend its money on providing decent health and education services. PANA’s demand is simple, JOBS AT HOME, NO WAR ABROAD."
for more information contact Roger Cole Tel: 087-2611597 or Seamas Rathigan Tel: 086-8369793
