The Referendum Commission - Credibility in tatters

[Papinian]

This press release of 28 April 2008 from the Referendum Commission lists on it two names from Murray Consultants PR firm, who are presumably retained by the Referendum Commission.
http://www.lisbontreaty2008.ie/PublicIn ... etails.pdf

Murray Consultants has had close links to Fianna Fail. Frank Dunlop formerly worked there. Murray Consultants are being paid approximately EUR 350,000 for acting for the Referendum Commission although they will control a budget of EUR 3.5 million. The details are here: http://www.ga.etenders.gov.ie/search/sh ... =MAY102247

Disturbingly, one of the Murray Consultants names on the press release is that of Olivia Buckley. As acknowledged on the Murray Consultants website (http://www.murrayconsult.ie/index.php?pg=11) she was Fianna Fail press director from 2003 to 2007.

Also disturbingly, the tender for Murray Consultants' services was carried out not by the Referendum Commission itself, but by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Why did the Department of Foreign Affairs carry out the tender? The holding of referenda is a matter for the Department of the Environment and Local Government as is clear from the press release on that department's website when Minister Gormley established the Referendum Commission on 6 March 2008: http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernmen ... 874,en.htm

The request for tenders for consulting services to the Referendum Commission was published on 19 February 2008. See here:
http://ted.europa.eu/Exec?DataFlow=N_li ... tatLang=EN
It is not clear whether the Referendum Commission or the Department of Foreign Affairs selected Murray Consultants, but the tender makes it clear that pricing was not the sole, or even the primary, criterion used in the selection.

[Papinian]

Further research shows that the retention by the Referendum Commission of A&L Goodbody Solicitors to provide legal advice to the Referendum Commission was not the subject of a public tender. It is not clear how A&L Goodbody Solicitors were selected and whether other law firms were offered the opportunity to provide legal advice to the Referendum Commission. It is possible that the decision to use A&L Goodbody was made by the five members of the Referendum Commission itself, by Murray Consultants on behalf of the Referendum Commission or, possibly, by a Government department. What is clear, however, is that the level of transparency appropriate for a matter of this nature was not present. It would be interesting to ask the Referendum Commission how the selection was made.

[CelloP]

The dogs on the street know every quango in the country is riddled with corruption. The loyal patrons of the royal FF party have been immune from enquiry and criticism for decades, why is 2008 any different?

[Coggy]

Well of course , did you read the BS textbook they sent out , making the EU more efficient etc etc ...

[CelloP]

As usual, nothing will happen. Nobody wants to rock the boat and everyone wants to maintain the current status quo.

[Papinian]

A matter of further concern is A&L Goodbody's listing on the website of Chambers Ireland as one of its 35 or so patrons. (See here http://www.chambers.ie/index.php?id=341) Chambers Ireland states elsewhere on its website (http://www.chambers.ie/article.php?newsid=518) that a Yes vote in the Lisbon Treaty is essential for Irish business.

Given A&L Goodbody's close links with an organisation calling for a Yes vote, can its advice to the Referendum Commission really be regarded as impartial? Shouldn't the Referendum Commission be getting legal advice from a law firm which isn't affiliated with a Yes campaign supporting body?

Serious questions that the mainstream media have failed to ask.

[Electro]

When RefCom came out with it's addendum "Response to No arguments on abortion" press conference last Wednesday they lost all credibility with me. If it really thought these issues were fundamental to the debate on Lisbon they should have made these statements at the outset, in their printed literature.

This biased behaviour it seems is a reflection of its biased, pro-Lisbon staffing.

[FutureTaoiseach]

The Commission are just political-appointees and lack credibility.

[twtone]

Good work, Papinian.

Too bad your information didn't get into the national discourse.

It's yet another bullet that the NO campaign didn't fire.

[Helium Three]

Oh boy.