Cowen moves to end Lisbon yes camp divisions

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has moved to ease growing divisions in the Lisbon Treaty yes campaign after Fine Gael and Labour reacted angrily to suggestions they were not pulling their weight.

Mr Cowen drew fire from pro-Lisbon opposition parties over remarks interpreted as rebuking them for not doing enough to ensure the treaty is approved. With the polls tightening ahead of the June 12 vote, tensions in the yes campaign exploded into the open as the Taoiseach was forced to deny engaging in a “blame game”. Fine Gael branded him a “bully boy” as they turned on Fianna Fáil’s “belated and poor” campaign. Mr Cowen attempted to defuse the row as it overshadowed his pro-treaty campaigning drive through west Dublin. “I wasn’t having a cut at anyone. What I was saying was that we are heading into the last two and a half weeks of the campaign and I’m sure we’d all be intensifying efforts, and I look forward to everyone getting out there and making sure we get a yes vote,” said Mr Cowen.

Fine Gael european affairs spokesperson Lucinda Creighton TD, branded the Taoiseach a “bully” saying it was “not very smart” for the him to be seen as attacking pro-Lisbon allies.