The Green Party will propose a special resolution to a crucial party convention on the Lisbon Treaty in Dublin this month to protect the position of Ministers John Gormley and Eamon Ryan and the stability of the Government in the event that party members fail to vote by a two-thirds majority for the treaty.
At present, the Greens have no official party position on the Lisbon document although they have advocated a No vote in every EU referendum since the Single European Act was put to the people in 1987.
A two-thirds majority is required for the party to take a position either for or against the treaty. In the event that a pro-treaty motion secures only a simple majority, the party will have no role as an organisation in the forthcoming referendum. However, individual members will be free to get involved on either side - Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan has already advocated a Yes vote on a personal basis.
At least 300 party members are expected to attend the convention on January 19th, which will be closely watched around Europe. Enthusiastic participation in the Yes campaign by the Greens is potentially critical for the successful ratification of the treaty in Ireland.
Rejection of the treaty in Ireland would probably mean the collapse of the ratification process and a major crisis for the EU.
An Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll last October showed support for the treaty had almost halved over a two-year period, with only 25 per cent indicating they would vote Yes, 13 per cent No and 62 per cent who did not know or had no opinion. A poll on the broadly similar EU Constitutional Treaty in March 2005 showed 46 per cent voting Yes, 12 per cent No and 42 per cent who had no opinion.
In addition to motions for and against the treaty, the special convention will be presented with a "technical" resolution recognising that, "with the signing of the Lisbon Treaty by An Taoiseach on behalf of the Irish Government on December 13th, 2007, Green Party Ministers are obliged by virtue of collective Cabinet responsibility to facilitate ratification of this treaty, and that Green Party members of the Oireachtas are similarly obligated to bring through the Dáil and Seanad a referendum Bill that will allow this question to be constitutionally determined by the people".
The resolution, presented as a non-policy matter which does not require a two-thirds majority, further recognises that participation in a referendum "is a personal responsibility of each individual citizen". This would allow individual party members to take part in the referendum on either side.
Chairman of the Green Party, Senator Dan Boyle, said last night: "The next few weeks are about getting an emphatic decision one way or the other."
Within the next 10 days, a meeting of the parliamentary party of six TDs and two Senators was "quite likely" to agree to Minister for the Environment and party leader John Gormley's request to advocate a Yes vote at the convention.
Party spokeswoman on EU affairs Senator Deirdre de Burca is expected to support the treaty on the basis that, having been "critical outsiders" in the past, the Greens should become "critical insiders" in EU terms in the future.
The No side will be led by former Green MEP for Dublin Patricia McKenna, who said: "I don't think this technical motion is necessary."
She said she doubted that a referendum Bill in the Dáil would be opposed by Fine Gael in any case.
In the event that the proposal for a Yes vote fails to secure a two-thirds majority, the "technical" resolution will assume critical importance in ensuring that the smooth workings of the Coalition are not impaired.