PARTY POLITICS:TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has said he was "not having a cut at" Fine Gael and Labour at the weekend when he welcomed support for the Lisbon Treaty being highest among Fianna Fáil supporters.
He said what he had in fact been doing was giving words of encouragement and mutual support to all the parties campaigning for a Yes vote.
But he was sharply criticised by Opposition parties, including Fine Gael, which said Mr Cowen's "unhelpful intervention" was making it "more and more difficult for Fine Gael voters to support a Yes vote".
On Sunday, Mr Cowen had responded to an opinion poll which showed that more Fianna Fáil supporters intended to vote Yes than those who supported Fine Gael and Labour.
"I'm glad to see our own party, the support of our own base, is certainly highest amongst all the parties and I'm sure the other parties will crank up their campaigns now as well," he said.
In response to questions from reporters, he added: "Well, from the Fianna Fáil point of view, what I think is a very important point is that you know we are the most pro-European party. We are getting most of our supporters out to support this thing in the hope that . . . colleagues in other parties now can crank up their campaign, which I'm sure they will, to make sure that we see the same level of support from other parties . . ."
Mr Cowen yesterday said the interpretation of his comments had unfortunately put a "negative spin" on them. "I was not having a cut at anyone obviously. In actual fact what I was saying was that we are heading into the last 2½ weeks of the campaign. I was saying I'm sure we will all be intensifying our [ efforts]. I look forward to making sure we all get out there and get a Yes vote, that's all."
His comment came after both Fine Gael and Labour had reacted sharply to what they perceived to be a slight by the Taoiseach against their campaigns.
Fine Gael's spokeswoman on European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton, said Mr Cowen's "tactic of attacking Fine Gael" would not secure a positive outcome. "Taoiseach Brian Cowen's unhelpful intervention on the Lisbon Treaty is making it more and more difficult for Fine Gael voters to support a Yes vote," she said.
Labour's spokesman on European Affairs, Joe Costello, described Mr Cowen's comments as "misinformed and misdirected". "Mr Cowen's comments cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. The Labour Party voted to support the treaty last November and we have been working hard since to secure support," he said.
