The Government was panicky and confused" over the bail referendum, the co chairman of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Mr Michael Farrell, said last night.
"They hoped to rush this measure through with the minimum of discussion and debate but they have been taken aback by the level of public opposition," he told a meeting of the Right to Bail Campaign in Dublin.
"Government Ministers do not even know what they are proposing. The Taoiseach at the weekend did not know whether the draft legislation provided for compensation for people found innocent after months in custody - it does not," he said.