THE BID to win a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum campaign is facing serious difficulties, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore both warned yesterday.
However, Fianna Fáil leader Brian Cowen, who takes over as taoiseach next week, insisted the Government is ready and prepared to fight a strong campaign in every constituency from May 12th.
In a blunt warning to Mr Cowen, Mr Kenny urged him to take on-the-ground command of the Government's campaign: "There are just six weeks left and the level of confusion and lack of information is incredible."
The Government has decided a short, sharp campaign over four weeks is the way to engage the public - though that has, by its very nature, conceded much of the early ground to the No lobbies.
Mr Cowen is the national director of elections for Fianna Fáil, along with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, though Fianna Fáil TDs have not yet come under strong pressure to go out and call for Yes votes.
However, Mr Cowen's strong performance in the Dáil yesterday when he passionately argued in favour of the referendum has helped to soothe the fears of some in the Yes camp.
Both Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore acknowledged that a weekend Sunday Business Post opinion poll that showed only a narrow gap in favour of a Yes vote accurately reflects public opinion.
"One is confronted with leaflets and dealing with persons stating that the Lisbon Treaty will introduce euthanasia, abortion, the limiting of family sizes, tax harmonisation, an ending of neutrality, an ending of sovereignty, the introduction of a dictatorship etc - stuff that is completely and utterly false and off the wall, and not in any way relevant to the facts contained in the Lisbon Treaty," said Mr Kenny.
Supporting the Fine Gael leader, Mr Gilmore said: "There is a combination of lack of information and misinformation which is causing a reluctance among people to support this treaty."
Pushing for a Yes vote, Mr Cowen said: "Unfortunately, there are some who have had quite cataclysmic visions since 1972 of what our membership of the European Union might entail, all of which have proved false," he said.
While EU membership has been good for Ireland economically and socially and in a host of other ways, Mr Cowen said a No vote on June 12th could have serious consequences.
" I do not believe that it is in the interests of this country to send a signal to the rest of Europe that we wish to step back from a more efficient and effective European Union," he said.
"I do not believe that the whole industrial strategy that we have adopted in the past 35 years should be put at risk by a message we might send to the international investment community about our role in Europe."
Foreign companies here would take fright at such a result, he feared: "What message do we send to them, their investors and their shareholders if we suggest that we are not prepared to vote Yes unequivocally to the EU?"
Farmers, concerned about the current World Trade Organisation talks, need to understand the Common Agriculture Policy is due to be reviewed between now and 2013: "In what way is the voice of any agriculture minister strengthened by a No vote, which would suggest that we are not prepared to go in and bat for our people?" he asked.
