FIANNA FÁIL:TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny has praised the "courage" of Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin in supporting a Yes vote on the EU fiscal treaty.
Launching the Fine Gael campaign, he said he expected Fianna Fáil would campaign actively for the treaty, or at least that “those of them in the party who do support it” would do so.
Mr Kenny had been asked about Mr Martin’s weekend criticism that the Government had been slow in getting its campaign off the ground and politically partisan in its approach to the issue.
“I don’t accept those criticisms,” Mr Kenny said. “I thank the Fianna Fáil leader for having the courage to come out and say that his party support a Yes vote.”
He had arranged a meeting for today involving himself, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, Mr Martin and their three directors of elections for the referendum to discuss issues in the campaign.
Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton said she wanted to “acknowledge and welcome” the support of Fianna Fáil for a Yes vote.
“It’s not easy or attractive – and we know this in Fine Gael – for an Opposition party to support the Government. Fianna Fáil should be given credit for their stance on this important issue,” she said.
Voting Yes meant Ireland would continue on a “strong, stable” road with guaranteed access to funding, Mr Kenny said.
Voting No would mean taking the route of undermining the economy, creating a “lack of confidence and complete confusion”.
Speaking of the No option in the Great Room of Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel, he said: “I do not want the Irish people to go that way.” Only a Yes vote would give Ireland guaranteed access to the European Stability Mechanism.
Mr Kenny described the terms of the treaty as “good housekeeping”, saying its rules would help ensure “responsible budgeting becomes the norm throughout Europe”.
“Europe needs to develop a strong growth and jobs strategy,” he said, adding this had “become central to the European Council agenda”.
Asked whether the treaty could be changed after the referendum, in response to pressure from French presidential frontrunner François Hollande, Mr Kenny said: “The treaty has been accepted and agreed and signed up for now by the countries, some of whom have already ratified.”
