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”.

The yes side lacked a clear and simple message, failed to ignite their campaign with passion and fell into the trap of ‘when you’re explaining, you’re losing’.

How arrogant of the EU elite to expect our trust and serve up a document which was long, complex and, for many, indecipherable. Both McCreevy and Cowen admitted not having read it and the Referendum Commission was very publicly found wanting when attempting to explain it.

The extremely late announcement of the election date.

Brian Cowen’s attack on Fine Gael — this isolated many voters at a crucial stage of the campaign.

Padraig Walshe and the IFA’s ‘behind closed doors’ deal which was delivered too late for the IFA executive to turn around their own members’ attitudes.

The disheartening approach of many local candidates who used the referendum as a key campaign tool to promote themselves ahead of next year’s local and European elections. How can you hope to engage voters’ trust if you blatantly engage in a cynical self-promotion exercise?

The Irish electorate do not react kindly to being talked down to. They were told there would be chaos, they were told they were out of their minds.

They were told there would be a ‘price to pay’ by EU President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Ultimately the blame lies at the top, but the European Commission’s denial of this by claiming the failure to ratify is Ireland’s problem (and not Europe’s) only highlights the ever-widening gap between the people of Europe and their politicians in Brussels.

Cllr Bronwen Maher

Green Party

1 The Bramblings

Dublin 5