Labour launches Lisbon campaign

Irish businesses will be able to apply directly to the European Investment Bank for funding rather than going through Irish banks if the Lisbon treaty referendum is passed, according to Labour Dublin MEP Proinsias De Rossa.

Announcing details of its campaign for a Yes vote in the forthcoming referendum, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said the economic situation had changed beyond recognition since June 2008 when a majority of Irish voters rejected the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr De Rossa said that an aspect of the treaty ignored in the referendum debate last year, was the amendment to the Statute for the European Investment Package.

The European Investment Bank has already provided €350 million to Irish banks to lend to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) "but businesses still cannot get funds from banks", he said.

"The Lisbon treaty amendment will make it possible for business to go directly to the European Investment Bank for assistance. That will hopefully add to the pressure on the banks to loosen the purse strings."

Mr De Rossa was speaking at a press conference in Dublin today where the party outlined its €100,000 plans for the "intensive" referendum campaign in September for the October 2nd poll and launched its online "Obama-style" campaign at labourforeurope.ie

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said the biggest mistake in the campaign last year when the treaty was rejected, was the failure to campaign sufficiently door-to-door.

He said there was "too much of an air war about the campaign and not enough ground war and the emphasis in our campaign this time will be much more ground war".

He believed that all the concerns that people had last time about abortion, neutrality and tax harmonisation were addressed through the legal guarantees, but the party and its activists would do this through its door-to-door campaign, treating it like an election.

He appeared to rule out the possibility of a joint press conference by the party leaders as happened last year. "I'm not too sure that that kind of choreography works aactually and there were mixed views as to whether it was a help or a hindrance on the last occasion. What is more important is that all the political parties campaign on the ground."

Campaign director and the party's spokesman on Europe Joe Costello, said the referendum was a "defining moment" for Ireland similar to when the State joined the then EEC in 1972.

"It was an historic decision. It decided whether we were going to engage with Europe or to sit on the sidelines and see what happened," and the same choiced applied again.

Mr Costello said there would be a large number of town hall meetings, literature and intensive door-to-door canvassing.

"There will be separate campaigns by labour women, Labour lawyers and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender group."

Its "new generation or Obama-style campaign" will include Twitter, Facebook and other social networks and blogging along with live video streaming of its townhall meetings, the Dublin Central TD said. "We intend to be to the forefront ahead of the other political parties in conducting that campaign," he said.