In the face of Opposition claims that it attempted to stifle dissent during this week's parliamentary debate on the Nice Treaty, the Government announced yesterday it had allocated extra Dáil time to deliberate the matter.
Chief whip Ms Mary Hanafin said the second stage of the debate on the proposed constitutional amendment to ratify the treaty had been extended from 17 to 22 hours.
Denying claims by politicians opposed to the treaty that the Government was trying to gag the No lobby, Ms Hanafin said time had already been set aside to allow Independent and Sinn Féin deputies voice their misgivings.
But her reassurances cut little ice with Sinn Féin Dublin South-Central TD Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh. "We saw the debate in Leinster House on the Nice Treaty reduced to almost farcical levels with the No side all but excluded due to the Government failure to bring forward much-needed changes to standing orders."
Mr Ó Snodaigh accused the Taoiseach of leading a "phony war of words" by perpetuating the myth that politicians opposed to Nice were anti-European.
"As he is well aware, there is nobody advocating that Ireland be anything less than active participants at European level.
"However, this does not mean that we have to sign up to a flawed treaty that is neither in the interests of this State, other EU members or indeed the applicant states."
Mr Ahern had stooped to blatant hypocrisy in a bid to sideline opposition to Nice in the Dáil, Mr Ó Snodaigh said.
"The Taoiseach says that there are issues being raised that have nothing to do with the treaty, yet he is the one who is constantly raising the issue of immigration despite the fact that the main No groups have said that we are in agreement with him on the matter."
Meanwhile, the Immigration Control Platform has called on the Government to clarify whether the State will be exempt from EU regulations on asylum law, as guaranteed under the Amsterdam Treaty, in the event of ratification of Nice. The organisation's spokeswoman, Ms Áine Ní Chonaill, has written to the Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, seeking a detailed explanation.