TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen is to intensify his campaigning efforts in the final days before the Lisbon Treaty referendum in an effort to reverse the dramatic shift in public opinion to the No side revealed in the latest Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll. STEPHEN COLLINS& MARK HENNESSYreport
Mr Cowen will make as many public appearances as possible and undertake a series of media interviews in the coming days in an effort to convince voters that it is overwhelmingly in Ireland's economic interest to vote Yes.
Government sources said yesterday that the poll has had the effect of galvanising the Fianna Fáil organisation and Mr Cowen has let it be known that every party TD and councillor in the country will be expected to deliver the vote as if their own seats depended on it.
"It's back to old-style politics and getting the vote out. This is vitally important for the country and we know now that it is down to Fianna Fáil to get its own people out and let the other parties look after their own responsibilities," said one senior Government strategist.
While the leaders of the three main Dáil parties, Mr Cowen, Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore, will go ahead with plans to make a joint appeal on Monday, the Taoiseach's emphasis will be on his own campaign to turn the tide by polling day.
Campaigning in Galway yesterday, Mr Cowen said the referendum next Thursday was critically important as it would send a signal to Europe about Ireland's intentions that would have very important economic implications for the country.
"The European market is on our doorstep. If we send a negative signal, I'm afraid it will be very confusing to those with whom we want to increase our trade and investment," said the Taoiseach, who expressed confidence that the treaty would be approved, in spite of the poll result.
"I am not contemplating defeat. I am working for a victory, and I believe that we will have it," he said. He added that voters faced the choice of sending a positive signal about this country or taking a step back and creating a degree of uncertainty about the future direction of the EU and Ireland's place in it.
Declan Ganley, the chairman of Libertas, which is spending €1.3 million on the No campaign, responded to the poll by saying that the referendum result still hung in the balance.
Saying that the five-point lead for the No side "should be taken with a grain of salt", he added: "There are five full days of campaigning still to go in this campaign, and the referendum is still there for the taking by either side."
Mr Ganley maintained that the Yes side was losing the battle of ideas and he added: "If they try and make it a battle of personalities they will lose that too."
French president Nicolas Sarkozy urged a Yes vote as he visited Athens yesterday in preparation for France assuming the EU presidency next month.
"Of all European countries, Ireland is one of those which has been able most magnificently to adapt to the European Union," said Mr Sarkozy. "I hope that the Irish understand the extremely important issues at stake for them and for us."
Former EU commissioner Peter Sutherland said Ireland was facing the "most crucial decision in international affairs in its history".