The Labour Party has urged the electorate not to punish a "discredited Government" by voting No in the forthcoming referendum on the Nice Treaty.
Speaking at the launch of the party's campaign for a Yes vote, the Labour Leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, said that Nice was first and foremost a moral question.
"The people of eastern Europe have a right to aspire to the peace and prosperity which membership of the EU offers them. It would be wrong for the Irish people to delay or hinder the accession of eastern European countries to the European Union," he said.
He added that the biggest obstacle to a successful Yes campaign in his view is now its key proponent - the Government.
"Their track record of deceit, dishonesty and duplicity have been shamefully exposed. The public desire to give them a bloody nose is understandable and palpable.
"But tempting though that it may be, this issue is just too important for that. There are some issues that deal with the broad sweep of history and this is one of them. The time to deal with Fianna Fáil is to vote against them in the local and European elections in June 2004," he said.
Mr Quinn said that the question to be put to the people on October 19th is a different one.
"The question deals directly with the concerns expressed during the course of the last campaign about the drift towards a European defence policy over which the Irish people would have no control. The new amendment if passed will compel the Government directly to put any such question, should it arise, back to the people.
"The cavalier approach of Irish Ministers to our national parliament for decisions they take at European council meetings will be ended," he added.