Irish Greens decide

The Irish government's attempt to sell the Lisbon treaty to voters suffered a setback this week. The Green Party, the junior coalition partners, held a convention at the weekend (19 January) and asked the 300-odd members what stance the party should take on the treaty referendum, likely before the summer. The voting fell short by 13 votes of going out to campaign for the treaty – 63% voted in favour, which was just short of the two-thirds majority required. The Greens are lukewarm on the EU: never mind that it is often the EU dragging Ireland kicking and screaming into signing and implementing directives on water quality or the protection of wild-life habitats, some Greens see the latest EU treaty as furthering militarisation and centralising power. The Greens' vote does not mean that the party will now campaign against the treaty. The party will take no official, united position. Ministers and representatives in the Irish parliament say that as individuals they will campaign for the Lisbon treaty while the wilder fringes of the party will campaign against. The overall impact is expected to be as clear as the streams in agricultural Ireland where the EU nitrates directive has yet to be implemented.