Voters uncertainty over opinion poll 'worrying'
The Tánaiste today described as "worrying" opinion poll results showing that more than one in four Irish voters is undecided about how they will vote in next week’s referendum on the Nice Treaty.
The survey revealed that support for the treaty has dropped seven points, to 45%, in two weeks since a similar poll.
The "no" vote rose by the same seven points, up to 28%, with 27% of those asked saying they were undecided how to vote on June 7 - the same number as two weeks ago.
Mary Harney said: "Today’s poll shows that, when the poll was taken, people had yet to focus on the big picture of what the Nice Treaty is about the benefits of enlargement for Ireland and the continent of Europe.
"The high level of 'don't knows' when the poll was taken is worrying.
"I hope that from this weekend on, many people will focus on the central issue of the Nice Treaty - are we open to new markets for Ireland and are we willing to give a chance of peace and prosperity to the countries of central and eastern Europe?"
Just 15% of the 1,000 people polled on Tuesday and Wednesday by MRBI claimed a "good understanding" of the issues involved, up four points, while 19% confessed to having no understanding of what the treaty is about, down 11.
The treaty prepares the EU for expansion to include up to a dozen states from central and eastern Europe and is supported by the three largest parties in Ireland.
But the "no" campaign, led by Sinn Fein, the Greens and Socialists which claim the treaty will compromise Ireland’s traditional military neutrality and pave the way to the creation of a European superstate, appears to have been more effective in recent weeks.
Rejection of the treaty by the electorate, the only EU state to put ratification in the hands of the electorate, would result in the collapse of the treaty.
Sinn Fein welcomed the poll, though Councillor Sean Crowe claimed it underestimated the strength of the "no" vote.
He said: "I am encouraged by today’s poll indicating a jump in support for the 'no' vote in the Nice Treaty particularly when you consider that this poll almost certainly underestimates the real extent of the 'no' vote.
"There is huge concern that Nice will bring us into an EU superstate with its own army."
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