Kenny suggests joint Lisbon campaign event for Party Leaders

[CorkHurler]

Enda Kenny made an interesting suggestion on the News at One that the three main party leaders join together at a campaign event over the next ten days to make a concerted call for a Yes vote. This would appear to be a sensible suggestion and a similar excercise during the Maastricht referendum helped secure a decisive late swing to the Yes campaign. It would have a significant effect of rally the support of the main parties to the Yes side and could prove to be the decisive moment in the campaign.

[FutureTaoiseach]

It would symbolise the elites against the majority no voting public. It would further erode any remaining pretence that FG intends being a real Opposition.

[dub006]

Enda Kenny made an interesting suggestion on the News at One that the three main party leaders join together at a campaign event over the next ten days to make a concerted call for a Yes vote. This would appear to be a sensible suggestion and a similar excercise during the Maastricht referendum helped secure a decisive late swing to the Yes campaign. It would have a significant effect of rally the support of the main parties to the Yes side and could prove to be the decisive moment in the campaign.

yes I heard that too....so now FF,FG and Labour have merged into one.
There is now formally no opposition in Irish political life.

Its the political classes versus the the people.

[QuizMaster]

It's actually a great idea.
A nice bit of political manoevering too.
Cowen wanted fingers out, he can hardly say no to this.

[zakalwe]

It would symbolise the elites against the majority no voting public. It would further erode any remaining pretence that FG intends being a real Opposition.

yep: the FF, FG and Labour voter elites vs SF, Libertas, Youth Defense parties of the people!

[KingKane]

It would symbolise the elites against the majority no voting public. It would further erode any remaining pretence that FG intends being a real Opposition.

So now, you're just being stupid. Perhaps by your logic FG should have opposed the Good Friday Agreement too?

[The Earl of Desmond]

Maybe they could have an event were they are asked unscripted questions fro mthe No side on any issue regarding Lisbon and have to answer them as it seems all the Yes side say is that if we vote No the sky will fall in - they never actually answer the No point put to them.

I'm open to believe that they genuinely can answer the points of the No side but so far I haven't heard any factual rebuttals - it's all vague platitudes.

[KingKane]

It would symbolise the elites against the majority no voting public. It would further erode any remaining pretence that FG intends being a real Opposition.

yep: the FF, FG and Labour voter elites vs SF, Libertas, Youth Defense parties of the people!

The PDs! don't forget the PDs, I mean we know FT has but the rest of us don't have to.

[FutureTaoiseach]

It would symbolise the elites against the majority no voting public. It would further erode any remaining pretence that FG intends being a real Opposition.

So now, you're just being stupid. Perhaps by your logic FG should have opposed the Good Friday Agreement too?

No but at least that was actually about peace, unlike Lisbon which as usual the euro and Irish elites describe in terms of peace in Europe and as Cowen puts it "the end to totalitarianism". This is about taking powers from the elected Irish govt and parliament and giving them to unelected bureaucrats in Brussels. There are strong grounds for opposing that. Instead FG bend over for FF as usual.

[ON THE ONE ROAD]

it would be a brave thing to do if the opinion poll in the SBP is acturate and about half FG supporters are going against it and from labours perspective a majority of there supporters, which imo explains gilmores "ahsure" attitude in the debate on vB last night. Also with less than a year to go to the next local elections opposition parties cosying up to the government won't look to well, if libertas and some of the other no groups stay organised for another year they could probably put a dent in both the above parties support. Don't see what FF have to loose from this other than a preseption that if it goes through they were bailed out by FG but doubht any paper other than the irish times and a few posters on this site would pick up on it.