Taoiseach Enda Kenny has described the referendum vote next month as “one of the most important decisions the Irish electorate will ever make”.
Speaking in Cork today Mr Kenny said the decision on the treaty went beyond a general election because it was about the future direction of the country.
He said austerity did not bring about results on its own but said it was required in a country such as Ireland which was “borrowing €16 billion more than we are taking in”.
Mr Kenny declined to comment on the recent Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll which showed a significant proportion of the electorate remain undecided.
Asked whether they were likely to vote Yes or No to the treaty, 30 per cent of voters said Yes, 23 per cent said No, 39 per cent were undecided and 8 per cent said they would not vote.
Mr Kenny said ratification of the treaty was important to secure inward investment and said he was “confident the Irish people, in their pragmatism, will see the reasons why we should maintain the strength of investment that we have here”.
The Taoiseach said there was no contradiction around the removal of speeches by three senior Cabinet members from the stabilitytreaty.ie website yesterday.
He said the speeches, which were advocating a Yes vote, were removed because the official campaign was going to start on Monday and from that point only factual information could be on the site.
“There is no contradiction - the campaign starts when the Minister signs the order and from that moment, the Government campaign is strictly explanatory and factual. “
Mr Kenny refused to be drawn on the size of any fund for a growth programme, after Siptu earlier mentioned a figure of €10 billion.
He said Ireland “has to have a stimulus package” and he said he shared the views of the Socialist frontrunner in the French presidential election, François Hollande, who has repeatedly declared he will change the treaty in favour of growth-oriented policies if elected.
According to Mr Holland, this could be done by inserting a legal “protocol” into the text of the treaty, which was signed by EU leaders as recently as last month.
Mr Kenny said the focus of European Council meetings has moved from concern around the possible break-up of the euro-zone to investment and competitiveness.
The Taoiseach also supported the decision by Central Bank governor Patrick Honohan to call for a Yes vote on the European treaty referendum.
“The governor of the Central Bank is entirely independent,” the Taoiseach said, echoing comments from Minister for Finance Michael Noonan earlier today.
“This is a matter for the Irish people, all the Irish people. The governor of the Central Bank is one of those.
“He’s a very important personality. He makes his statement completely independently and I think it speaks loudly and clearly for itself.”
Sinn Féin, which is campaigning against the treaty, claimed Mr Honohan had stepped outside his remit.
In a speech last night, Mr Honohan said a Yes vote on May 31st would be a safer alternative.
The governor was widely commended for breaking ranks with the last coalition Government in 2010 to confirm that Ireland was on course for a bailout before the International Monetary Fund was brought in.
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore today rejected suggestions the No campaign is gaining momentum and warned that the fiscal compact would not be renegotiated. The treaty won’t be torn up,” he said.
Three major unions have already pledged to reject the treaty, saying it will create further austerity in the country, while the Irish Congress of Trade Unions refused to take any decision on it. The CPSU this evening advised its members to oppose it.
Jack O’Connor, Siptu general president, has said he was being swayed to vote Yes through the guarantee that emergency funding could be provided through the European Stability Mechanism.
He told TDs in the latest session of the Oireachtas sub-committee on the EU Fiscal Treaty that he would vote no if he thought there was a viable alternative.
The compact has been signed by all members of the euro zone and Ireland is the only state requiring ratification by referendum.
Additional reporting: PA