The Workers' Party is looking at a possible legal challenge to holding the Belfast Agreement and Amsterdam Treaty referendums on the same day, the party's ardfheis was told last night.
At the opening session in Dublin, the general secretary, Mr Pat Quearney, said the Workers' Party was opposed to holding the two referendums on the same day because both were of vital importance to the people and the Government was using the Belfast Agreement to disengage from open debate about the Amsterdam Treaty.
The party is calling for a Yes vote on the Belfast Agreement and a No vote on the Amsterdam Treaty.
Mr Quearney told delegates that the reasons the party would be seeking a No vote in the Treaty referendum were that the Second Pillar, common foreign and security policy, would have the most serious implications for Ireland's traditional policy of neutrality and would take away the right to an independent foreign policy.
Another aspect of its campaign had been pushing the Department of Foreign Affairs to meet them for an exchange of information about the treaty.
"One thing clear from the information gleaned is that the Government is not ideologically opposed to selling out our foreign policy independence. In fact they are only too willing to allow France or Germany or Britain dictate our foreign policy," he said.
The one positive thing was that a Referendum Commission had been set up to present both sides of the argument and the party had made a submission to it.
The general secretary said the period since the last ardfheis had been difficult for the party in Northern Ireland because it had been a constant struggle to keep itself relevant to the political process.
"This was, of course, extremely difficult because of our failure to secure election to the multi-party talks at Stormont, which was a major setback and disappointment for us.
"We have throughout given our support to the talks process, while at the same time calling for greater transparency about what was going on and highlighting constantly the issue of a bill of rights and anti-sectarian measures," Mr Quearney said.
Councillor Linda Kavanagh said that, as Ireland's only workers' party, it had a huge responsibility to represent that constituency. The ardfheis continues today and will include the keynote address from the president, Mr Tom French.