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  • irishtimes.com - Posted: September 2, 2009 @ 11:23 am

    Lisbon kicks off

    Harry McGee

    I’m sitting in the Royal College of physicians in Kildare Street moments before the Fianna Fail launch for the Lisbon campaign starts. I am writing this post onmy iPhone so excuse typos!First impressions are that FF is going to offer voters a winne- take-all-gamble, a kind of political double or quits offer.It’s looking at European Union membership as a whole rather than engaging with issues with white the same degree of detail. Military neutrality and the Commissioner will play a part but my guess is that FF won’t major on the minors.Micheál Martin is speaking now. All the Ministers are here including Taoiseach Brian Cowen.Slogans are Ireland Needs Europe and We’re stronger with Europe.A big question is how will the debate and unhappinness with the Government and NAMA will play into the debate?

    • 6 Comments »

    1.
    September 2, 2009
    12:26 pm

    Excuse the typos? Why?

    Comment by DesJay
    2.
    September 2, 2009
    1:19 pm

    Ref.II is already lost.

    Mistakes of first campaign not learned – Cóir’s crazy posters are all over the place already so now the Yes side have to counter their lunatic accusations.

    Yes side now have to also deal with accusations of hypocrisy as Intel et al advertise for a yes vote and shouldn’t they be examined as critically as Libertas etc.

    Those who are happy with the declarations should be asked if they have read them. Has anyone? If they do have legal effect then what effect is that? They apply to Ireland only and I want to know what we’re signing up for.

    I was pro-Lisbon I and am leaning ant-Lisbon II. This is a joke.

    Comment by An Fear Bolg
    3.
    September 2, 2009
    2:31 pm

    On excusing the typos, here are the reasons:
    1. Immediacy is sometimes the distinguishign feature of a post (especially one that is written as a conference begins, all of which is tapped out on the tiny keyboard of a mobile phone).
    2. The blogs are unfiltered. They go straight from journalist to page without going through the normal subbing process.
    3. Michael White of the Guardian wrote a very funny piece about people who wait to pounce when you make the smallest mistake with spelling or grammer when blogging, using it as a the basis for a more generalised attack – that guy can’t even spell properly, that’s how useless he is. On a number of occasions, there have been spelling mistakes on this blog as well as poor grammatical construction of sentences (because I’ve drummed it out in haste) and there have been comments harrumphing about it. Of course, Desjay isn’t saying that. But in anticipation of people who get offended at seeing the slightest flaw, that’s why I said, excuse the typos!
    H.

    Comment by Harry
    4.
    September 2, 2009
    2:32 pm

    The logo looks suspiciously like a Kerry jersey.

    http://www.irishtimes.com/homepage/images/1224253703035.jpg?ts=1251897984

    Way to alienate the entire country, Biff.

    Comment by tormentor
    5.
    September 2, 2009
    5:24 pm

    Harry I think it is a national disgrace that there are typos in this blog and it is inexcusable. Are we to believe that IT journos are not now born with impeccable grammar and spelling capabilities?!?!

    This is an outrage. People shouldn’t be allowed on twitter without correct stuff also …

    Comment by An Fear Bolg
    6.
    September 3, 2009
    10:50 am

    It might be just be but wouldn’t Europe Needs Ireland have been a better slogan in that it would have emphasised the significance of our role and also made it sounds less needy on our part.

    Comment by Dan Sullivan

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