Bloggers urge No vote:A group of Polish political bloggers have made an appeal to Irish people to vote No to the Lisbon Treaty.
Bloggers from political website Niepoprawni.pl have contacted The Irish Times urging Irish people to vote No. The group is against the Lisbon Treaty because, it says, the EU is trying to pass the treaty without asking Europeans to vote on it. "Ireland is an exception. In the second referendum Irish people will speak for all the European countries."
The arguments include claims that the treaty is an attempt to establish a European superstate.
France and Netherlands voted no to the European Constitution which, the group says, was changed little before it later became the Lisbon Treaty.
The group said the 2008 Irish No vote on Lisbon had been disregarded, which was "an obvious violation of all democratic principles".
Higgins and De Rossa battle for Google staff
An audience of 300 people gathered at Google headquarters in Dublin yesterday to hear two left-wing MEPs debate the treaty. Socialist Joe Higgins urged a No vote, while Labour's Proinsias De Rossa argued for a Yes.
Most Google employees seemed well disposed to a Yes vote. Some made up their minds during the debate.
Niamh Nolan (23), from Kilkenny, said she had been undecided before the debate, but would now "definitely vote Yes".
However, Marissa Selman (31), from Limerick, said the debate had swayed her "towards the No side".
"I thought there was much more definite information from Joe. He seemed to pay attention better to answering the questions."
Qoutes
On my left here [ Joe Higgins] is one who is now Dana because he couldn't get elected to the Dáil, Patricia [ McKenna] who used to be Dana but couldn't get re-elected and Declan [ Ganley] who would like to be Dana but he can't get elected - Ryanair's Michael O'Leary comparing three of his opponents to former MEP Dana during the Today FM debate in the Irish Times building yesterday.
No means no. You and your muppets are finished Cowen, - No protesters heckle Taoiseach Brian Cowen at the National Ploughing Championships in Athy, Co Kildare
Ireland is being slid into a closer relationship with the Nato military alliance - Richard Boyd Barrett of the Irish Anti-war Movement arguing that the Lisbon Treaty will lead to greater militarisation at a protest outside the Department of Foreign Affiars in St Stephen's Green, Dublin yesterday.
Return to Lisbon has Kerry's Emerald Elvis all shook up
An Elvis impersonator from Kerry has rewritten Return to Sender in an effort to persuade people to vote No to the Lisbon Treaty on October 2nd.
Mark Leen, aka Emerald Elvis, was recorded performing the ditty outside his Kerry home, which boasts a replica of the Graceland gates.
The video has been viewed over 2,500 times on YouTube in the last five days, much to the surprise of its creator, who made it for €150.
The song begins: "They gave a treaty to the people, we gave the treaty back, but on October 2nd they are gonna bring the treaty back."
The chorus is "Return to sender, we're posting No. No to Lisbon and the EU zone. We had a quarrel about the Lisbon pact. We voted No to it, but this treaty keeps coming back."
In Elvis style, the song ends with: "Ladies and gentlemen, independence and democracy has left the building."
Mr Leen has even received a call from Fox News in the US looking for a high quality copy of his video. He has received calls of congratulations from many members of the No campaign.
Public relations officer of the Kerry No to Lisbon campaign, Mr Leen used what funds they had to hire a cameraman.
He performed and wrote the song, and edited the video himself.
"It was the best €150 you could ever wish to spend," he said.
See the video at: http://tinyurl.com/mywkjy