Nice Four for Valentine’s Day

The Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will attend a summit in Brussels on December 11th-12th, where Mr Cowen is scheduled to tell fellow leaders that the Irish Government will be able to carry a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty.

To avoid the acrimony that the name Lisbon arouses, the February referendum will be referred to as Nice Four.

‘It was a tight enough election but it was a definitive decision against Lisbon as it stands’ said Mr Martin yesterday, hinting that with a bit of effort the Cairde Fhianna Fáil could emerge with the more desirable 53%, currently held by Libertas.

‘It's far too soon to be speculating on whether you have another one or if you have another one,’ continued the Minister, rambling.

‘Certainly by the end of the year people need clarity if nothing else in terms of the future,’ he went on. "People will need to know there are obvious timetables under what conditions certain things are going to happen.’