Lisbon a mystery to 80pc of voters, says treaty panel
Tuesday April 29 2008
FOUR out of five voters do not understand the Lisbon Treaty seven weeks out from the referendum, according to a new survey.
Research published by the Referendum Commission yesterday showed that only 5pc of voters believe they understand the treaty very well or quite well. Worryingly, 30pc did not know the name or subject of the forthcoming referendum.
Of the 500 surveyed earlier this month, 15pc said they understood it to some extent, while the remaining 80pc said either they did not understand it particularly well, or did not understand it at all.
Reducing the level of confusion surrounding the treaty and providing independent analysis is now the task of the newly established commission which has a budget of €5m for advertising and information booklets ahead of the June 12 vote.
Taxation
Yesterday, its chairman Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill said the commission's interpretation of the treaty had concluded that the issue of taxation will not change under the treaty, despite the No campaign's claims to the contrary.
With an advertising campaign due to commence on May 12, Judge O'Neill insisted the four weeks available for informed debate was the same length of time as a general election. "We are on time to have maximum impact," he said.
In the coming weeks, two million copies of a 14-page handbook will be distributed to every voting household, while the website www.lisbontreaty2008.ie, is already up and running.
Statements will be issued by the commission if any confusion or major contradictions arise during the public debate between the Yes and No campaign groups.
Responding to the survey's results, the Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell, who is a member of the commission, said the low level of understanding of the treaty was not surprising.
He said the results were in line with other surveys in the past, adding that the levels of comprehension would rise considerably in coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan will lock horns with the EU's trade chief Peter Mandelson today in a bid to force him to put the brakes on a world trade deal which threatens to derail a Yes vote.
The IFA has threatened to oppose the treaty if Mr Mandelson manages to get a WTO agreement before June 12.
Ireland wants to limit the concessions being made on agriculture team which will cost jobs and damage the country's farming industry.
Big battle: Page 41
- ine Kerr Political Correspondent
