Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

If the Minister will allow me to conclude, I will explain my position. The Minister of State, Deputy Lucinda Creighton, started it yesterday with remarks she made on the "Morning Ireland" programme which were followed by the statement made by the Minister for Justice and Equality in the House. Such contributions infuriate Fianna Fáil Party members who are working to ensure we get our supporters out to vote in favour of the treaty. It would be helpful if those Ministers who tend to put their feet in their mouths when speaking on various issues were to say little about the treaty in the next six weeks. Blatantly placing the referendum in the fray of domestic politics by explicitly linking it with the Government's economic recovery plans risks turning the debate into a partisan affair. I know the Minister will not engage negatively as he has a great track record of embracing and understanding Deputies on this side.

The Government's claim at a launch yesterday that a website on the referendum was new when it had operated previously smacked of laziness. I only hope its information campaign marks a major leap forward from the debacles of the household charge and water metering and that lessons have been learned for the forthcoming referendum. The Government must run an earnest, energetic and positive campaign based on the merits of the treaty and the strength and role of the European Union. Citizens must be fully informed on the subject and the temptation to enter the mire of misinformation in which some opponents of the treaty have engaged must be avoided. The strengths of the Union speak for themselves and the crude propaganda that lowers the quality of the debate on this vital issue should not be indulged in by either side. In the past some of those on the "Yes" side showed a tendency to over-egg the benefits to the State of certain treaties. On this occasion, the text of the treaty is relatively straightforward and largely devoid of the type of Eurospeak with which we are familiar. We should argue our case based on the content of the treaty and its implications for the country, rather than engaging in the extraneous arguments that featured strongly in previous campaigns.

Current opinion polls which indicate that 30% of the electorate will vote in favour of the treaty as opposed to 23% who will vote against it should not lull those of us who argue in favour of it into a false sense of security. With 40% of voters undecided, the campaign remains wide open and shows clear potential for a swing to the "No" side. Reflecting on potential pitfalls in the campaign, I am reminded of some of the words spoken after a previous referendum:

We were left with the vacuum in which misinformation began to seep into people's minds and negative attitudes about a range of issues emerged during the course of the campaign. Confusion about the treaty was a contributory factor. Complacency is always the other enemy, in that if people see all the political parties lined up in favour of a positive answer to referendum questions, some of them will inevitably conclude that the referendum will pass while forgetting that it cannot pass unless people vote for it.

These were the words of the Taoiseach, then Leader of the Opposition, to Dáil Éireann after the defeat of the first Lisbon treaty referendum. I trust that he will heed the concerns he expressed during that referendum campaign and have every faith that he will.

I look forward to performing my role as director of elections for Fianna Fáil. We intend to run a strong campaign, based on a positive message of engagement with the European Union. We will outline our vision for the steps needed to address the euro crisis. We welcome the treaty as the first significant move in the right direction. Our canvassers and leaflets will highlight the positive contribution the European Union has made to Irish life and the immense potential that the future holds. We will not shy away from the scale of the current challenges the Union faces but will support the treaty as a positive first significant step. We will assiduously avoid running a negative campaign solely based on fear and crude misinformation, which was such a feature of previous campaigns. The citizens of Ireland deserve better than this. Therefore, I call on all parties to ensure we will have the quality of debate needed at such an important moment for the country.

Fianna Fáil, unashamedly, believes in the European project. Leading Ireland into the European Union and reaping the benefits of EU engagement are an enduring legacy that has transformed the country for the better. The treaty is another step in our relationship with the European Union from which the people have benefited so much in the past 30 years. The decision facing the people on 31 May is whether Ireland should stay at the heart of the European Union that has pressed forward fundamental social and economic advances on the island. Fianna Fáil will fight to secure that place and looks forward to bringing that case to citizens.

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