THE SIMPLICITY and directness of No campaign posters have had a much bigger impact on young people than the “bland” and legalistic messages of the Yes campaign, students and teachers at a Dublin secondary school told Minister for the Environment John Gormley yesterday.
Mr Gormley visited St Louis High School in Rathmines to conduct a question and answer session with transition -year students about the Lisbon Treaty referendum, and to outline why the Green Party is backing a Yes vote.
He was accompanied by his party’s spokeswoman on Europe, Senator Deirdre de Búrca.
The all-girl school will hold a mock referendum next Tuesday with all 650 students casting a vote. Students are confident that it will a provide a good indication of how the country will vote when it goes to the poll on October 2nd.
Last year, the school’s mock referendum held before the first referendum anticipated the actual result. Students voted against the treaty by 65 per cent to 35 per cent. And there is a sense in the school this year that the result will be much tighter this year.
Some of the questions asked by transition year students related to claims that have been made on No campaign posters, especially about the prospect of a €1.84 minimum wage. According to teachers, that poster seemed to have had most impact among students because of their concerns about the jobs situation in the current economic climate.
When one student asked were wages going to drop to that level, Ms de Búrca said the claim was mischievous and that European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso had described it as an outright lie.
Sharon Muldoon, the teacher in charge of transition year, said that students had found the language in the referendum booklet very legalistic.
“Because the language of the No campaign is very simple, they are more inclined to believe the No campaign rather than Yes,” she said. The No posters had caught their eyes and their views could also inform those of their parents.
Sinéad Slattery, a 15-year-old transition year student said that teenagers were more conscious of the direct No posters and their messages than the general messages of Yes voters.
“The heart-shaped No posters appeal to people of my age group. They are much more aware of it. The Yes posters have been very bland.” She said that she did not believe that younger people had been given enough reason to vote Yes to date.
Aoife Bagnall (15) said she was more tempted towards a No vote in the school’s mock referendum because she was still not clear about the issues.
Laura Morrin (16) said she believed people were a little more informed for the second referendum. “People did not have a clue about it the last time. People are voting Yes who voted No last year. I think I will vote Yes in the mock referendum.”
The referendum is run by second-year students in order to allow them understand the process of an election campaign.
Mr Gormley, who is also a TD for the constituency, and Ms de Búrca outlined reasons to vote Yes. She listed the introduction of qualified majority voting; increased power to the European Parliament; the citizens’ petition initiative; an improved status for the EU to negotiate internationally; and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
In the question-and-answer session, Mr Gormley was asked if it was fair for ministers to be chauffeur-driven when families were in danger of losing their homes.
He said the Greens did not believe in unvouched expenses and that he had not used the Government jet because it was not environmentally friendly and because of its high costs.
Asked why the Government was paying such a high price for Nama, Mr Gormley said it was paying market value plus a premium of 15 per cent, a long-term economic value that would be recovered over 10 years.
“It’s important we do that to ensure that the banks can work again,” he said.