Nice No campaigners accepting money from British, Ahern says

The Nice Treaty No campaigners have been accepting money from British Eurosceptics to bolster their efforts to defeat the referendum…

The Nice Treaty No campaigners have been accepting money from British Eurosceptics to bolster their efforts to defeat the referendum, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has claimed.

He has been accused of smear tactics by opponents of the EU treaty changes.

He wants to know how much financial assistance the European Foundation headed by the "aptly named" Mr Bill Cash, a Tory MP, had given to the No campaign in financial assistance.

Mr Ahern told Fianna Fail's weekly parliamentary party meeting he wanted the Green Party MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna, to "for a change put in a complaint about hostile attempts by right-wing reactionaries in another country to influence the Irish electorate".

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Last night Ms McKenna said her party had taken the decision not to accept money from any organisations, saying of Mr Ahern's remarks: "It's a smear campaign."

Mr Cash has made an appeal in the UK for "Eurorealists" to support their counterparts in the Republic, and named Mr Anthony Coughlan, secretary of the National Platform, as "the leading Eurosceptic in Ireland".

Mr Coughlan, told The Irish Times he wrote an article in the European Journal, a monthly publication by Mr Cash's Foundation, where he asked for individual donations.

He raised a total of £600 which brought their bank balance to £2,000.

But the group had made a decision not to accept any money from groups in the UK.

However, Mr Coughlan revealed that a Danish group called Team, a network of Euro critical organisations, is to announce in Dublin on Wednesday which Irish No campaigners will benefit from an estimated £10,000 which they have raised.