For the first time yesterday there were signs of life on Planet Nice. Sceptics, especially Euro sceptics, denied the possibility the referendum campaign would ever come to life. But on the very last day - because today is something of a moratorium - we had a breath of real-life politics.
As with other living organisms, a certain amount of manure was required. When the mud starts to fly you know you have a genuine political tussle. It's not a serious issue unless all sides are badmouthing one another. And before you know it, it's time to send for the lawyers.
Faced with a court challenge and in the interests of prudence, the Taoiseach toned down his public comments on the funding of the No side. Others in the Yes camp pitched in with emphatic briefings to the media about the true nature of their opponents.
Links between the No to Nice campaign and the militant prolife group, Youth Defence, were highlighted. The office in Dublin's Capel Street was a Youth Defence office; the address on the ubiquitous "You Will Lose" posters listing reasons to vote against Nice was a Youth Defence address; various Youth Defence personalities were active in No to Nice.
For the media, it was like refereeing a match between Clare and Tipperary. The No to Nice group said there were Youth Defence people in their ranks but there were others who were not members. Capel Street was only one of their offices, they also used premises belonging to the Christian Solidarity Party, for example. And their chairman, law lecturer Denis Riordan, had never been involved in the prolife movement.
No row ever really takes off unless it concerns money. Last weekend the Taoiseach was alleging that up to £100,000 had come from pro-life Americans to fund in excess of 20,000 posters for the No to Nice Campaign.
Mr Justin Barrett, PRO for No to Nice, said they had produced 5,000 posters for £15,000 and they were prepared to produce receipts as they had previously displayed bank records.
Previously the Taoiseach has focused on money provided to the No side by British Eurosceptics, and Mr Anthony Coughlan has admitted receiving about £700 or £800 from an appeal in a British magazine.
There have also been some quiet complaints from the upper reaches of Fianna Fail about the extent of Sinn Fein postering. Sinn Fein said yesterday it had spent "just under £10,000" on its campaign.
As for Fianna Fail, a party spokesman said it had spent a total of £40,612 including £5,700 on posters and £2,800 on "eight by fours" which are a type of mini-billboard for placing on motor roundabouts (many of these were allegedly defaced over the weekend with the word Yes and the Taoiseach's face cut off).
Fianna Fail provided a detailed breakdown: the erection and removal of posters cost £4,500; cable ties to hold up the posters ran to £400; leaflets cost £18,562; delivery of leaflets to local branches ran to £4,750; banner ads on the website ireland.com cost £2,150; design and origination costs were £1,750.
God be with the days when you did not need to pay people to put up posters. Local activists in the various parties went out with ladders and did the job for nothing. Sometimes they even tore down the posters of "the other crowd" as a bonus.
The No to Nice Campaign reports that some unidentified person or group has been tearing down their posters. Not only is there life on Planet Nice, there is passion as well.
