No camp claims State ‘played on people’s fears’

FEAR was the major factor in the resounding Yes vote, anti-Lisbon campaigners have claimed.

Mary Lou McDonald of Sinn Féin, the only Dáil party to campaign against the treaty, accused the Yes side of using “dishonourable” tactics to scare people who felt financially vulnerable.

Referring to the economic climate, she said: “You had a situation where not just the Government, but the opposition parties too and others, sent a very clear message to people which was as follows: ‘If you’re unemployed, there will be no jobs if Lisbon goes down. And if you’re fearful about your job or about your economic future, you’ve no option but to vote this treaty through.’ And I think not alone was that an inaccurate message... I believe that it was a very dishonourable message to deliver to people who feel very vulnerable. But it seems to have worked,” she said.