The Government is continuing to put its divisions over Europe on full public display despite the issuing by the Taoiseach's Office of a rote answer to Ministers dealing with the issue.
Minister of State Mr Tom Kitt yesterday dissociated himself from those who were "kicking the EU in the shins" and said: "The day Fianna Fail joins the rump of Conservative Eurosceptics is a bad day for the country and a very bad day for Fianna Fail." Asked if he was referring to other Cabinet members, he replied: "Well, yes."
Mr Kitt, a former Minister of State for European Affairs, said he was concerned that a shift in policy on Europe was being signalled.
The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, who was on the platform at the press conference - on arrangements for the changeover to the euro at the end of this year - where Mr Kitt made his comments, said later that he had been "called a lot worse than a Eurosceptic" in his years in politics. He suggested that the only kicking he had seen in the last six months was the EU kicking him.
The president of the European Central Bank, Mr Wim Duisenberg, speaking at the press conference, confined himself to remarking that he was "personally disappointed as a European" at the referendum result.
The PD Minister of State, Ms Liz O'Donnell, joined Mr Kitt on the Europhile side of the argument yesterday, calling on the Government to adopt a "strong, coherent and self-confident pro-Europe voice". She said: "We should be very aggressively articulating strong support for, and confidence in, our future role in Europe."
Her comments differed sharply in emphasis from the repeated opposition to a "united states of Europe" voiced by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to curtail further public Government division, a stock answer containing remarks made in the Dail by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was circulated to all Ministers this week.
This followed a request from The Irish Times to the 10 Ministers who have not put their views on record to give their opinion. Nine responded with a slight variation on what Mr Ahern said when he was questioned in the Dail on Monday.
"The Minister respects the outcome of the Nice Treaty vote" was the standard reply.
Variations were: "The Minister is convinced that the people, in voting against Nice, were not voting against the European Union . . . Both the Minister and the Government are firmly committed to enlargement of the Union . . . It is the consensus view within the Union that ratification of the Nice Treaty is necessary for enlargement to proceed . . ."