More diary dates and referendum news in brief...
TODAY'S EVENTS
7.30amFine Gael leader Enda Kenny canvassing
voters at St Stephen's Green Luas stop, Dublin.
From 11.30amFianna Fáil "Yes Bus" visits
Sligo. (11.30am - Collooney, 12.10 pm - Ballisodare, 1pm - Sligo
town, 3.45pm - Tubbercurry).
Noon:Press conference by former MEP Jens-Peter
Bonde and Irish legal expert Peadar ó Broin. European
Parliament office, Molesworth Street, Dublin.
From 1pmLabour MEP Proinsias De Rossa canvassing
in Galway (1-3pm) and Westport (5-6pm).
8pmFine Gael public meeting, Community Sports
Centre (off Bulfin Road), Inchicore, Dublin.
8pmPeople Before Profit debate on the Lisbon
Treaty. DIT, Rathmines Road, Dublin.
Rallies at Irish embassies to protest at lack of referendums
Campaigners will gather outside Irish embassies in 15 European countries this weekend to protest that the Republic is the only EU member state to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
The demonstrations are being organised by the European Referendum Campaign (ERC), which describes itself as an independent, Europe-wide, cross-party network of NGOs and individuals calling for "democratic development" within the EU.
The ERC has one simple objective, it says on its website: to press for referendums on the Lisbon Treaty in as many EU member states as possible.
On Friday and Saturday, groups will gather in front of Irish embassies in Athens, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Copenhagen, Ljubljana, London, Paris, Riga, Sofia, Stockholm, Valletta, Vienna and the consulate in Milan to "congratulate the Irish people for having a referendum", the group said in a statement.
"With these events, they want to protest against the undemocratic process of how the Lisbon Treaty is going to be ratified. Seventy-five per cent of Europeans wanted a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and all except Ireland have been denied."
The demonstrations kick off in Dublin on Friday morning with a launch event addressed by former Green MEP Patricia McKenna of the People's Movement, one of the civil society groups campaigning for a No vote.
No vote by Ireland would be bad for everyone - Barroso
European Commission president José Manuel Barroso has said that a No vote in the Irish referendum on June 12th would be bad for Europe and Ireland.
"There is no plan B," Mr Barroso told the European Policy Centre think tank in Brussels.
"If there was a No in Ireland or in another country, it would have a very negative effect for the EU.
"We will all pay a price for it, Ireland included, if this is not done in a proper way."
Siptu to discuss how to advise members
SIPTU'S NATIONAL executive council will meet on Friday to decide whether to recommend its 200,000-plus members to vote for or against the Lisbon Treaty.
Last week, Ictu called for a Yes vote but two unions - the TEEU and Unite - have both rejected the treaty, claiming it undermines workers' rights.
Siptu says it has carried out a consultative process with members to ascertain views.
Bookmakers' odds on voters rejecting treaty are shortening
The bookmakers' odds on voters rejecting the Lisbon Treaty are shortening.
Paddy Power, which had been offering odds of 4-1 to those willing to bet that the treaty would not be passed, has halved those odds to 2-1.
Gamblers confident of a Yes vote can now back that outcome at 1-3 - in other words a €3 bet would return a €1 profit.
"The 'no' option has certainly been gaining momentum with our punters," said a company spokeswoman. "It certainly looks a lot closer than people think."
Super-confident Yes voters can get odds of 10-1 on the treaty being passed with the support of more than 70 per cent of those who go to the polls on June 12th.
"I am determined that farmers will not wake up on June 13th to find that a WTO deal was conveniently postponed for a couple of weeks to get the Lisbon Referendum passed in Ireland- IFA president Pádraig Walshe refuses to soften his stance on farmers' opposition to the proposed world trade deal