Portugal's Left Bloc leader calls for a referendum on EU membership

Left Bloc leader Catarina Martins has called for a Referendum on Portugal's continued EU membership if the European Commission continues its path to impose sanctions for the government's 2015 failure to hit budgetary targets.

If the government does not "take a stand against blackmail" from the European Commission, Martins called on Prime Minister António Costa to authorise a national Referendum to see if the nation wants to continue as part of the European Union.

"If the UK wants to leave, then leave. Other countries may decide in a Referendum what to do with the European Union" said the bloquista leader at a conference in Lisbon.

For Portugal, Martins said, “the day will come when we decide. We will never shelve our democratic rights and the day will come to decide and it will come soon."

Martins was highly critical of the French President François Hollande, the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, and the President of the Eurogroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem and she consider that the current European set up  "is a race to the bottom" and a "huge and very sad lie."

Comments  

-1 #4 Fboy 2016-07-03 11:58

Salazar is dead, Long Live Salazar.
Another case of democracy and freedom of speech being halted by those who afraid of the result.

-1 #3 Charly 2016-06-27 21:40

Must be a (bad monday morning) joke, Katarin Martins ?

+1 #2 Ed 2016-06-27 14:29

Quoting Dierdre:

Going viral on the Internet, and shown on Portuguese national TV is a brief excerpt from the brilliant 1980 Yes, Minister series. (link below) This one in which the civil servant Sir Humphrey is telling the Minister Hacker all about British Foreign Policy over the centuries. Based loosely on fact but seemingly strangely prescient now for the UK to be always supporting the under dog against whoever was winning in Europe at the time.

Ending with Sir Humphrey justifying expanding the European project to include Spain and Portugal a few years later. To finish nailing down the coffin lid. Given our Foreign Office's apparent awareness that these less advanced countries had no intention of anything resembling fair treatment or access to market for northern European citizens. Spain and Portugal still seething after imaginary historical slights of centuries ago - most particularly not today's UK citizens! No Union possible there.

https://vimeo.com/85914510

A timeless classic.....
Ed

0 #1 Dierdre 2016-06-27 14:28

Going viral on the Internet, and shown on Portuguese national TV is a brief excerpt from the brilliant 1980 Yes, Minister series. (link below) This one in which the civil servant Sir Humphrey is telling the Minister Hacker all about British Foreign Policy over the centuries. Based loosely on fact but seemingly strangely prescient now for the UK to be always supporting the under dog against whoever was winning in Europe at the time.

Ending with Sir Humphrey justifying expanding the European project to include Spain and Portugal a few years later. To finish nailing down the coffin lid. Given our Foreign Office's apparent awareness that these less advanced countries had no intention of anything resembling fair treatment or access to market for northern European citizens. Spain and Portugal still seething after imaginary historical slights of centuries ago - most particularly not today's UK citizens! No Union possible there.

https://vimeo.com/85914510

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