More news and diary dates
TODAY'S EVENTS
FIANNA FÁIL
Tánaiste Mary Coughlan TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, will travel on the Fianna Fáil Yes bus to canvass for a Yes vote for the Lisbon Treaty in Sligo and Donegal southwest and northeast.
FINE GAEL
7.30am: Colm Burke MEP will canvass commuters at the main bridges in Cork city centre with Simon Coveney TD and Senator Jerry Buttimer.
10.30am: Gay Mitchell MEP will hold a coffee morning and Q&A session on the Lisbon Treaty in the Submarine Bar, Crumlin Cross, Crumlin, Dublin.
11am: Avril Doyle MEP will address the Active Retirement Association on the Lisbon Treaty in the Cedars Hotel, Rosslare, Co Wexford.
6.30pm: Colm Burke MEP will canvass Cork city centre.
LABOUR
Joe Costello: 10am-noon canvass at Phibsborough shopping centre; 6.30pm canvass in Drumcondra, Dublin 9.
8pm: Lisbon Treaty information meeting, Irish Deaf Society, Dublin Deaf Club, 40 Lower Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9.
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS
Minister Mary Harney will take part in a major debate on the merits of the Treaty on the Today with Pat Kenny radio programme.
Director of PD 'Yes' campaign, Victor Boyhan will be canvassing at the Irish Financial Services Centre, Dublin 8am.
Senator Fiona O'Malley canvassing at the Magic Carpet Pub, Cabinteely, Dublin, 7pm.
IRISH ALLIANCE FOR EUROPE
Canvassing at 7.45am at Grand Canal Dart station in Dublin; at 5pm at Pearse Street Dart station in Dublin.
Alliance "battle bus" in Tralee, Co Kerry.
LIBERTAS
1pm: European movement debate in ESB, Dublin;
2pm: Libertas canvass in Tallaght;
4pm: Rock The Vote debate in Google HQ, Barrow Street, Dublin. Declan Ganley on RTÉ's Questions and Answers panel with Mary Lou McDonald, Enda Kenny and Micheál Martin.
PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT
No to Lisbon street canvas on Grafton Street from 12.30pm to 2pm. Speakers will include Richard Boyd Barrett, Ailbhe Smyth and Kieran Allen.
SOCIALIST PARTY
Canvass at the GPO, Dublin with Joe Higgins at 1.15pm.
Debate: Alan Dukes vs Joe Higgins, St Brigid's community centre, Blanchardstown, 8pm.
Mitchell targets bookish electorate with novel approach
HOW MUCH information can you get on a bookmark? Quite a bit if it's one from Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell.
"Gay is very innovative," enthuses Dave Moloney, a member of "Team Gay Mitchell", who bears that logo on the back of his jacket.
"You can have the best literature, but it all ends up in the bin. People will keep a bookmark and every time they open their book, they'll see Gay."
As well as the passport-size photo of the man himself with the legend "Gay Mitchell says Yes to the Lisbon Treaty", there are comparative imperial and metric measures for distance, liquid, weight, clothing,
shoe and collar sizes, temperature, speed, the EU-wide emergency services number (112) and the MEP's contact details.
On the other side are
the flags and population sizes of the 27 member states; a paragraph explanation of
"How the EU works"; a list of what the EU does, 10 pointers on "what the treaty adds' and a bit on all the committees the MEP is on.
Rock the Vote debate planned for RTE.ie
A "ROBUST" and "no waffle" debate organised by Rock the Vote is planned for 4pm today to be streamed live on www.RTE.ie
Young people in Google headquarters (Dublin), will be joined via video link with those from UCC (Cork) and UL (Limerick) to grill a panel of Yes and No speakers.
The event will be moderated by Ryan Tubridy.
'Team Europe' plays with politics and sport
If it's good enough for Paul McGrath, is it good enough for everyone else? The Irish Alliance for Europe is trying to change the truism that politics and sport don't mix.
In its efforts to get the soccer, rugby and GAA Yes vote out on Thursday, the alliance has lined up a "Team Europe". A group of sporting stars led by soccer player Paul McGrath will gather at 11am today at Fitzwilliam Square Park, Dublin.
Team Europe's motto is: "Don't score an own goal - vote Yes."
Other sporting figures attending the event include: Ciarán Whelan, Dublin GAA footballer; Michael Tierney, Laois GAA footballer; Niall Woods, former Irish rugby international and chief executive of Irupa; Victor Costello, former Irish rugby international; and Babs Keating, former Tipperary hurler and manager.
The bishops? Sure I trust the bishops even less than the politicians- A voter concerned about abortion responds when Labour leader Éamon Gilmore points to the Dublin bishops' comments that the Treaty will not change Ireland's position on abortion