The Cabinet is expected to clear the way for the holding of the Nice Treaty referendum, possibly in late October, when it meets in Glenveagh National Park, Co Donegal today. However the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, indicated that a date may not be announced until early next week as "some tidying up" was needed.
Reflecting growing impatience among campaigners, the former Taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, said he was "getting quite frustrated at the inability of the Government to make a decision on this".
It was becoming "extremely difficult" to organise a serious, sustained campaign involving people from Ireland and the rest of the EU, said Mr Bruton, who is director of elections for Fine Gael's campaign.
The chairman of the Referendum Commission, Mr Justice Finlay, said he was deeply disturbed by research which showed that only 16 per cent of voters felt they understood the issues. Announcing details of the survey, he said he was "alarmed" at how few young people were planning to vote.
But at the close of Fianna Fáil's two-day Parliamentary Party meeting on Nice at Killarney, Co Kerry, the Taoiseach said all his TDs and Senators would campaign as though for a general election: "This will be the biggest European campaign that we have had since 1972."
Questioned about the decision of Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Mr Eamon Ó Cuív's decision to vote No last time, Mr Ahern said he had received a commitment from every Minister and Minister of State before their appointment that they would campaign for the treaty. "I made sure this time. Everybody is on side."
Meanwhile, Mr Bruton, who is a member of the Presidium or executive committee of the Convention on the Future of Europe, which meets in Brussels, told The Irish Times: "The rest of Europe is not coming to a stop just because the Irish Government cannot make up its mind on the date for a referendum. There are commitments in the European Parliament and the Convention and other perfectly proper commitments that people have to meet.
"Until a date is set it is clear that the Government members themselves are not giving priority to Nice and it is sod-turning and ribbon-clipping as usual as far as Ministers are concerned."
Legislation provides that the order to hold a referendum is signed by the Minister for the Environment and that the poll must be held at least 30 days after the signing of the order. Many campaigners have been working on the assumption that voting would take place on October 18th but this would mean signing the order today. The position is complicated further by the fact that an EU Summit is scheduled for Brussels on October 25th.
Back in Dublin last night, the Taoiseach said the No campaigners were guilty of "muddled thinking" and "hostile to international business and investment" .
However, the No to Nice Campaign spokesman, Mr Justin Barrett, said the treaty's enhanced co-operation provisions threatened the low corporate tax rates which attracted foreign investment to Ireland. "Already there is great pressure within the EU for tax harmonisation, which is item one on the agenda for enhanced co-operation within the Euro zone."
Meanwhile, a telephone poll of 400 farmers to be published today in the Irish Farmers' Journal shows a drop in the Yes vote from 47 per cent to 45 per cent and a rise of 8 per cent among No voters, from 19 per cent to 27 per cent.
