A Sinn Fein TD has called on the Government to end what he described as its campaign of name calling, insults and scaremongering and engage in a real debate on the Nice Treaty.
Dublin South Central TD Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh said the only outcome to a negative campaign is that the electorate will "tune out" even before the referendum date has been set.
Mr Ó Snodaigh was addressing a party conference on the Treaty in Dublin this morning, and outlined his party’s attitude on EU and immigration and called for a No vote.
He said immigration was not an issue in the referendum and the party rejected the notion that any challenges the country faced on the issue should be manipulated or misrepresented during the debate by either side.
Mr Ó Snodaigh said the real issue was democracy, and the "holding of this referendum itself is a denial of the democratic decision made by the people last year."