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Dublin: 10 °C Friday 24 May, 2013

Four out of ten voters still undecided on May referendum

Latest Ipsos/MRBI poll shows 30 per cent support a ‘yes’ vote, while 23 per cent say ‘no’.

Image: Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland

A NEW POLL has found that four out of ten voters are still undecided about how they will vote in next month’s referendum.

The fiscal compact referendum is due to be held on 31 May.

The Ipsos/MRBI poll for the Irish Times says that 30 per cent of the 1,000 people surveyed earlier this week are likely to vote yes, while 23 per cent said they are likely to vote no. Another 8 per cent said they won’t vote.

Earlier this week, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore told the Oireachtas sub-committee on the treaty that a copy of the Treaty text and information about the referendum will be sent to homes around the country in early May.

Opposition members have criticised the government over the length of this referendum campaign, which they say is too short to fully inform the public of the issues involved.

Earlier this year, an expert panel of political scientists told the Joint Committee on Investigations, Oversight and Petitions that the information period ahead of the referendum on Oireachtas inquiries (held alongside the presidential election and the referendum on judges’ pay) was too short for information to be disseminated among the public by interested parties.

As it happened: Micheál Martin and Tánaiste address Fiscal Compact committee >

The Fiscal Compact Referendum: What are we voting on and why? >

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Comments (34 Comments)

  • paul love the link! i shared it on facebook :-) i will be voting NO. lisbon promised us jobs jobs jobs. eh that turned out to be so true not! i dnt trust our gov they have shown themselves to be liars. i will not put the future of my children in jeopardy cos enda and co say so. i have read the treaty and my informed decision is no. to adhere to the eu new rules we will need to make another 6billion or so cuts after 2015. we will not be kicked out of eu for voting no.its not even eu law cos uk vetoed it. look at the lee way greece got cos brussells fear one member leaving euro will leave to others. they wont want ireland out of euro as it will have disastrous consequences for the euro.that said spain doesnt look too healthy either so i wouldnt be surprised if the whole thing collapses in the not so distant future. im voting no to austerity but more importantly im voting no to handing over the remaining sovereignty we have left. ratifying this treaty hands complete control to brussells. no thank you!!!

    Reply
  • I’m voting NO, simply because our government and other parties – FF and Labour – are telling us to vote yes. These guys are so trust worthy, why wouldn’t I believe them?

    UK has already vetoed it – same country that said no to the Euro – makes you think they might be better informed than our own government.

    Look at the Lisbon treaty – where are the jobs the government promise if we voted yes? 400,000+ unemployed, another lie!

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  • franco 19/04/12 #

    I’m voting NO because Brian Hayes said vote YES .

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  • I’ll put this in a language our government understand. Im voting NEIN!

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  • FG-FF-LAB all canvassing for a yes vote. I am full of excitement waiting on the doorbell to ring, we should all take this opportunity to whisper a few home truths in their ear…

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  • The Euro is doomed no matter what happens, this is all so irrelevant.
    Spain and Italy are creeping towards financial implosion, and a second global credit crunch is upon us. 1930s, eat your heart out.

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    • Not so irrelevant I think.
      Sure, Spain will probably fall, along with Italy.
      But Europe has been dragging it out for so damn long now.

      I’ll be voting no in the hope that the damn process speeds up.
      The horse is long dead, and the whip isn’t worth using anymore.

      Reply
  • Of course we’re undecided. We haven’t been told what it’s all about yet!

    Still, i think I’ll go with a big fat NO!

    My rudimentary understanding is,

    Vote no for austerity
    Vote yes for even longer, more drawn out austerity.

    Reply
  • I think they’ve decided to badly inform in the hope of a yes, then if they get a no they can say it was because people were not well informed – so they’ll do it again, and run this campaign:

    http://youtu.be/TZfzAOooEOU

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  • People for once on here dimbo is actually right. It’s very simple EVERYONE has to…has to vote NO

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  • no no no and no

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    • That’s a very definite answer. Could you elaborate?

      What exactly would be the outcome, if we had a “yes” vote? Similarly, what exactly would be the outcome, if we had a “no” vote. How would the “no” scenario be of more benefit in your case?

      Thanks.

      Reply
    • would ya listen to ur man martin.
      yes martin, explain urself…..right now!

      Reply
    • Well, if we have a ye vote we’re ratify a joke of an agreement that will be pushed down the throats of smaller nations while bigger nations ignore the rules as they have done in the past.
      If we vote no, then it’ll probably be ratified unless another 6 (I think) countries fail to ratify. But at least if we vote no it’ll show the government that they don’t have the mandate they think they have.
      At this stage, I personally think the Eurozone is totally screwed whatever happens, it’s just whether or not you want to take the pain now or in a slow drip feed that’ll last for generations.
      The politicians and bureaucrats of the EU haven’t got a clue what their doing either. This constant attempt to fix an already failed system is just prolonging the inevitable. At least if Ireland leaves the Eurozone (not the EU) then Ireland will have control over it’s own finances again.

      Reply
    • *if we have a “yes” vote

      Reply
    • Continent Simian
      What way will you be voting yourself and Why?
      10 points please and one paragraph per point and a pie chart to correlate your comments , NOW ! He he ….Lol

      Reply
  • jimbo 19/04/12 #

    Mcbab loose the attitude

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  • I’d love to know what percentage don’t fully know what they’re voting for. I’d put that figure at around 30-40%

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  • Not sure which would be the least worst. But inclined towards a NO. Drop out of the Euro. Devalue by say 25% The government budget effectively gets devalued as well. Let productive occupations claim the benefit of competitiveness with increased.

    Reply
  • Yes To Austerity !
    Yes to Jobs !

    Yeah right…pull the other one. This treaty is all about the ECB covering up four years of disastrous mistakes.

    Everyone I know is voting no to this, I’m not sure where the pollsters are finding those yes votes but my guess is they won’t show up to vote on the day, unlike the no side who are clearly passionate on this issue.

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  • jimbo 19/04/12 #

    The answer is no..

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  • While parliaments across europe have been debating this, silence from ours, and we know why. FG/Lab are relying on there being as short a discussion as possible and the minimum amount of information for the least amount of time possible.

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  • I voted yes to all the other referendums but because of the way we have been treated by the Developers,Bankers,Bondholders/gamblers,EU,ECB,IMF I will be voting NO to this Austerity Referendum.

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  • tim 19/04/12 #

    It’s death by a thousand cuts for the private sector,but the civil service is the only sector booming,big government must end.vote no.

    Reply
  • LeeKelly 19/04/12 #

    People who don’t know vote know. Mis or Non information might work when you slithering around and sitting pretty in Leinster House but when you want the electorate to go out to the ballot box’s in your favour it not the correct strategy.

    Reply
  • Alice 19/04/12 #

    It’s going to be a victory for the Yes vote. And rightly so.

    Reply
  • If it stays like this, it could translate into low turnout which might favour the yes side

    Reply

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