Honesty needed in referendum debate

THIS referendum debate can be reduced to competing emotions and a few heads shouting ‘Look at me!”.

First, the emotions. Opinion polls are showing that an awful lot of people don’t really know what the Fiscal Compact Treaty is about. Last week, the Milward Brown poll had 35% of the electorate in the “don’t know” category. Among those who have made up their minds to vote yes or no, over 30% admit to not having a clear understanding of the issue.

They’re not alone. I would suspect that far more than that cohort have a weak grasp. Many, if not most, voters are making up their minds based on matters other than the specifics of the treaty.