More news and diary dates
Weekend Events
FIANNA FÁIL
Taoiseach Brian Cowen visits Kerry and Limerick West on the Fianna Fáil Yes bus today. Tomorrow afternoon he joins Ógra Fianna Fáil members for a youth rally in Dublin at the National College of Ireland. Minister Dick Roche and IFA vice chairman Derek Deane will jointly canvass for a Yes vote at the Carnew Mart, Wicklow, this morning.
LABOUR
Party leader Eamon Gilmore will host a public information event on Grafton St between 12pm-1pm. Tomorrow Mr Gilmore and Joe Costello TD will launch the "Labour Lisbon admobile" at Croke Park at 3pm, before the Dublin-Louth football match.
GREEN PARTY
Green Party Ministers John Gormley and Eamon Ryan canvass in Grafton Street, Dublin, at 11.30am today and later at the Green Energy Fair, Leopardstown racecourse.
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS
Party leader Ciarán Cannon canvasses in Clonmel town centre today from midday, with party members Senator Fiona O'Malley and PD councillor and mayor of Clonmel, Richie Molloy.
SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY
Representatives will canvass at the GPO from noon today.
CÓIR
The No campaign groups will host a "street extravaganza" including posters, leaflets, balloons, music and street theatre from 1pm today.
IRISH ALLIANCE FOR EUROPE
The group will canvass the Golden Island shopping centre, Athlone, from 3.30pm today.
Anonymous MEPs keeping their heads down on Lisbon
THINGS ARE getting so tough for the Yes side that even senior politicians don't want their names associated with the campaign. That's the only conclusion to be drawn from a press release which tells us 11 MEPs have come together to call for a Yes vote. Unfortunately, it neglects to mention who the MEPs are.
However, the anonymous MEPs tell us they are co-ordinating their campaigns and calling on their supporters to come out and vote Yes.
. "With less than one week to go to polling day it is important that all of us who want a Yes vote work together," they said. But not important enough to disclose their identity, it would appear.
Cóir unapologetic on historical echoes
No, it's not 1916, or 1921. Though, judging by posters of anti-treaty group Cóir, you might be fooled. "No to foreign rule - Vote No to Lisbon" is the latest offering from the people who brought you "People died for your freedom - Vote No". Can we expect to see a "We serve neither King nor Kaiser - but Ireland" poster? Richard Greene is unapologetic: "This treaty . . . will allow the European Court of Justice to overrule the Irish Constitution", he said.
George Redmond gets behind Yes vote
AND YOU thought things couldn't get worse for the Yes campaign. George Redmond, the controversial former Dublin planning official, is giving his thumbs up to Lisbon.
"On balance, Europe has transformed us," he said, when asked his opinion on the treaty yesterday. "We didn't have the structural funds in my days, there was no way all those motorways could have been built without the help of the EU."
Harney challenges anti-treaty campaign
MINISTER FOR Health and Children Mary Harney has challenged anti-treaty campaigners to a debate. "For many years, I made the sales pitch for investment in jobs in Ireland across the table in the boardrooms of international companies," she said. "I know what works. And I know what don't work."
Libertas has taken up the challenge and says it is ready to debate with the Minister.
"The consequence of going another way is real and we have to grow up and recognise that it's real" Former EU commissioner Peter Sutherland insists that a No vote would come at a cost