PARTY LEADERS:THE JOINT canvass involving Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore is likely to take place on Monday, Mr Kenny said yesterday.
The Fine Gael leader confirmed that all three leaders would appear together to show a united front in support of a Yes vote as part of a final co-ordinated push in the last week of the campaign.
Saying that yesterday's joint press conference by the directors of election of the three main parties was part of that process, Mr Kenny said it would culminate with the meeting of the three leaders. "It is probably on Monday. I'm not sure if we have finalised the actual precise time yet."
Mr Kenny, who was speaking ahead of a Fine Gael event in the Dublin Mid-West constituency, was also mildly critical of the Green Party's campaign.
Asked about Minister for the Environment John Gormley's assessment that the contest would be close, Mr Kenny said the Greens were split on this issue.
"You have not had very active campaigning from the Greens in Government. You have had some campaigning from Greens on the negative side."
However, Mr Kenny accepted the outcome could be close.
"With this referendum, more than any other, it's not easy to pick out a golden issue that you can say you can recognise and say is a big benefit."
He said people were not short of information, but needed to receive information in a way that they could understand.
His comments were borne out during a canvass held at a shopping centre in Lucan by the party's Seanad leader Frances Fitzgerald earlier yesterday.
The most common complaint from people on the canvass was that they were confused by the treaty or unaware of its detail. Most were shoppers on their way in and out of the local Superquinn and Dunnes Stores.
According to Ms Fitzgerald: "A lot of people say they are confused or do not understand it. Most say they are going with it."
The shoppers, mostly female, mentioned a wide range of issues, some of which are unaffected by the treaty. The issues which cropped up most were tax, neutrality, voting strength, jobs and representation.
"We do no know a thing about it," said one woman from Foxrock, who also criticised Charlie McCreevy for not reading the text.
Her friend worried Ireland would not have "a representative who will make the rules", a reference to the rotation of commissioners.
However, both said they were likely to vote Yes.
"I am going to vote Yes because Gerry Adams told us to vote No."
A local woman, whose son started the Leaving Cert yesterday, said colleagues at work had said vote No especially if you have boys. "They are worried about conscription ," she said.
Ms Fitzgerald said the scenario was impossible because of the triple-lock safeguard of Ireland's military neutrality.
The woman also expressed concern that Europe would end up like the US, with Ireland "just like another state over there".
There were fewer men around yesterday, but those canvassed seemed surer of their voting intentions.
"I am voting Yes because I am a strong European," said one man.
