Nine reasons why the cause was lost

IF we are to learn from the referendum outcome, here in my view are some of the key pitfalls of the yes campaign:

There was a failure to kick-start the campaign early in the year which allowed the no camp to set out its stall and build momentum.

At the outset there appeared to be a deliberate strategy not to engage in the issues but to engage in a strategy to discredit opponents and call them names. For example, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who dismissed the no side as “a load of lulas”.