Kenny: No vote would be catalyst for election

A REJECTION of the Lisbon Treaty would be a “catalyst” for a general election, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said before telling voters to avoid using tomorrow’s vote as a referendum on the Government.

Mr Kenny told voters that an election is “not too far away” and national problems could be sorted out once the Lisbon Treaty is ratified.

Parties supporting a Yes vote on both the opposition and Government sides had been careful not to link a rejection of Lisbon with replacing the current coalition. However, asked on LMFM radio yesterday morning if such an outcome would make the Taoiseach’s position untenable, Mr Kenny said: “It would certainly cause serious problems from that point of view.”

Asked if it would cause a general election, he replied: “I think you are probably close enough to that in any event. It would certainly be a catalyst to it.”

Mr Kenny appeared to row back on the remarks later in the day in his final media doorstep before tomorrow’s vote when he insisted: “I don’t contemplate defeat in the referendum. I’ll wait and see what the result is.

“I know people are angry and I say to them again, ‘hold your anger and your fire until you cast your referendum in a general election not too far away’.”

People are angry, let down and frustrated with the Government, Mr Kenny said, and it is a “natural tendency” to use their vote to express this.

“But I do believe the public are well aware that this Government is in serious difficulties, they will have their day and their referendum on the Government before too long.

“For that reason I have stressed time and again, sometimes until I’m blue in the face, that they should hold their fire on the Government and not take out their vengeance on the Lisbon question.”

The Fine Gael leader called on the people to distinguish between political difficulties at home and the long-term consequences for the country if it rejects the treaty.

“Hopefully on Friday, we can sort out and figure out how best to sort out in everybody’s interests, the national issues here.”

Mr Kenny also admitted that his party’s support suffered as a result of singing from the same hymn sheet as Fianna Fáil in the last Lisbon referendum campaign in June 2008.

“I know that on the last occasion my party suffered to an extent from being on a parallel course of support for an issue the Government were supporting. But I make no bones and no apology for standing by the people of the country and standing up for the country’s interests,” he said.