The following is a leaked memo from April,I don't know wheteher this was discussed before on P.ie if so feel free to lock.
memo shows clear collusion between British and Irish officials to keep the European Union out of the headlines at the time the House of Commons was debating a referendum.The link is below with the important text highlighted.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/bruno_w..._apathy_and_eu

Daniel Mulhall
http://www.oecd.org/speaker/0,3438,f..._1_1_1,00.html


"Irish have picked May 29 for voting but will delay an announcement to keep the no camp guessing (please protect). DFA's EU director gives us referendum timetable and details of the bill, to be published next week. Aim is to focus the campaign on overall benefits of EU rather than the treaty itself. Concern about the potential impact of a WTO deal and of Sarkozy.

"The draft, largely incomprehensible to the lay reader, had been agreed following lengthy consultation with government lawyers and with the political parties.

"The bill would enter parliament in the second week of April and it would probably take two weeks to go through and be passed around 22 April. The minister for the environment would thus be entitled to set an order naming the date for the referendum between 30 to 90 days of the order being made. Technically, the Taoiseach (Bertie Ahern) and (Dermot) Ahern saw a slight advantage in keeping the no campaign guessing. 29 May was the assumed date in working plans.

"Mulhall said a date in October would have been easier from a procedural point of view. But the risk of unhelpful developments during the French presidency - particularly related to EU defence - were just too great. Sarkozy was completely unpredictable. The only other unhelpful event the Irish thought might impact on the May vote would be a WTO deal based on agricultural concessions that could lead the powerful farming association to withdraw its support.

Mulhall is not acting in the interests of the Irish people and should be removed from his post!