MEP accuses Irish government of ‘complacency’ in EU treaty campaign

Irish MEP Jim Higgins has hit out at the Irish government for not moving sooner on the yes campaign, and welcomed the results of a recent poll as a “wake-up call”.

Talking to TheParliament.com on Friday, he said, “The results of the poll are welcome because it’s a wake-up call for the yes side. The government seems to think that a short snappy campaign will swing a yes result.”

Higgins, a member of the opposition Fine Gael party, says the government waited until the “eleventh hour” to give the main push to its campaign. He blames the recent change in leadership that saw Brian Cowen take over from former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on 6 May for the government's "complacency".

“The government is and was seized with changes in leadership and in a fit of complacency was under the impression that it could turn things around in two weeks.”

The results of an Irish Times/tns mrbi poll released Friday show that the no camp has gained 17 points, effectively doubling its supporters to take 35 per cent of the vote. The yes side, says the paper, dropped five points to 30 per cent.

However, Higgins thinks that there will be a positive result on 12 June when the Irish take to the polling stations. “My prediction is that it will carry, but it will be pretty close. In the minds of a lot of people, they are only beginning to engage and ask the key questions.”

He blames the no side for spreading false claims about what the treaty will mean for Ireland. "The no side has set out to spread confusion. When there is confusion the tendency is to vote no."

No campaigners have been capitalising on claims that provisions in the Lisbon treaty would compromise Ireland's neutrality, force EU-wide tax laws and impose abortion on the country.

Higgins says there isn’t “a scintilla of truth” in what the no camp is saying. “This treaty clarifies our defence policy, copper-fastens ourneutrality, protects our corporate tax rate of 12.5 per cent andclarifies and copper-fastens article 40.3.3 of our constitution, whichprotects the right to life of the child.”

He advises the main government parties to step up to the plate in the following days. “Time is of the essence if we are to have an open and measured discussion,” he said, admitting that there are no measures put in place to deal with the fallout from a no vote.

“There is no plan B. This is plan B. What we’re talking about after this is a plan C.”

Irish Socialist MEP Proinsias De Rossa added, "From the poll it is clear that the yes camp has not so far managed to convey the importance of the Lisbon treaty for the future of Ireland in Europe.

"But there are still six days left. The Labour party will be doing everything possible to secure a yes vote."

Meanwhile, German MEP Jorgo Chatzimarkakis told this website, “It was a mistake from the start to call the treaty a constitution. It led to many misunderstandings from which the Irish referendum is still suffering today.

“I hope for a yes. A no would be a setback, but I’m an optimist and I want to believe that in the end the European idea will win!”

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