When I started this blog I resolved not to use the phrase “Politics makes strange bedfellows”, because it is rather obvious and I would have to use it every day to describe the strange alliances in the referendum campaign, especially on the NO side. I am going to break my resolve now and I blame… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

I spent much of the past week in Ireland in Dublin, Clare and Galway. There were more Yes than No posters wherever I went, apart from teh outskirts of Limerick. This is in sharp contrast to the last time around, when the No posters dominated the scene. I have to say however that the No… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

This is a digression from the subject of Ireland and Lisbon but I was “provoked” – which was Declan Ganley’s excuse for reversing his previous “No” when he was asked last year if he would campaign in a second referendum. Good to see that No does not always mean No in his case and that… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

According to on-line reports on RTE and the Irish Times today, Declan Ganley will announce his return to “lead” the No campaign in the referendum. Most commentators see him and his movement Libertas as the main contributors to the No vote in the first referendum. He did announce after the European elections, when he failed… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

I spent much of last week in Dublin and helped organise yesterday a well attended Europe for Ireland press conference in the European Parliament for the eleven Irish MEPS supporting the Lisbon Treaty. The mood is not very optimistic and there is clearly a lot of work to do for the Yes campaigners. Polls show… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

I said the No side would take Ireland out of the EU. Take “Ireland’s Biggest Free Paper” a Catholic newspaper distributed at the entrance to churches in Ireland. (http://www.alive.ie/ – in case you think I am making this up.) In a long feature piece entitled The Lisbon Treaty Your Right to Know, the paper lists,… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

I should explain what I mean before words like lies, half-truths, slanderous, gutter politics, a new low (all much used in the current campaign) are levelled at me. I don’t accuse all No voters of wanting to leave the EU. Many support membership, but not the Lisbon Treaty. I can have a good, and mutually… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

One of the arguments of the No side in Ireland is that Ireland will suffer economically if we vote Yes, and will prosper (relatively ) and create more jobs if we vote No. I’ve looked across the No websites (I do this a lot) to see the basis for this argument – by what mechanism… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

Now, big (I hope) news! A group of Irish people in Brussels and elsewhere in Europe have joined together as “Europe for Ireland” to promote a Yes vote. We have been signalling our presence virally, through a website and through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Today we issued our first press release announcing our presence – see… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray

On the assumption that this blog is read (?) by people outside Ireland I thought I should say something about recent developments on the No side. In the referendum last year a group called COIR played a significant part and have now launched their campaign for a No vote in the coming referendum. According to… » read more

Posted by Jim Murray