The decline in national and international economic fortunes during the past year may encourage the public to back the Nice Treaty, former Taoiseach Mr John Bruton has declared.
"The fact that we are not in quite such brilliant economic circumstances may make people a lot less inclined to be complacent," said Mr Bruton, who is directing Fine Gael's referendum campaign. "Two years ago, people may have felt that we could afford to be on the outside because we were invincible. Now, maybe, they realise that we do need to be in a big bloc like the EU that has some control over economic forces."
Ireland's European Commissioner, Mr David Byrne, will be one of the main guests at a series of public meetings beginning on September 6th.
"We will be issuing open invitations to members of the public to come to these meetings and put their questions to the panel. Fine Gael is taking nothing for granted in this campaign. This is the most important decision the Irish people will take in a generation. The public did not get the information that they deserved the last time. This time, it will be different," said Mr Bruton.
Former European commissioner Mr Peter Sutherland, now chairman of Goldman Sachs, former Taoiseach Dr Garret Fitz -Gerald, and two SDLP members, Mr Alban McGuinness and Mr Denis Haughey, are among the other speakers listed.
Questioned about Mr Byrne's presence on the panel, Mr Bruton said: "He is not a bureaucrat. He is somebody who has been appointed by the democratically elected head of government to the Commission. He is an Irish citizen as well as a European commissioner. It is only right that he should be able to put his views."
All of the political parties must launch campaigns in support of the Nice Treaty, he warned. "People won't ignore their local politician if he or she tells them with genuine passion that they believe that this is their best interests," he said.
However, he had doubts about the willingness of some TDs to campaign. "They must be prepared to go and canvass and, more importantly, speak outside churches and in shopping centres.Passion and conviction convey their own message. But too many politicians try and feel the wind. That is one of the reasons why the standing of politicians is dropping with people."