By Andrew Bushe
DUBLIN – A final concerted push for peace is being made this week to secure a resounding Yes vote in the historic referenda north and south of the border on Friday. This takes place amid growing concern that the substantial block of mainly Unionist uncommitted voters in Northern Ireland may swing against the deal.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will campaign throughout the country and hold a final press conference in Dublin Castle on Wednesday and Prime Minister Blair is expected to make another Northern Ireland visit – his third in as many weeks – as part of the intensive campaign to quell anxieties about aspects of the Belfast Agreement.
A government spokesman said there were no plans for a visit to Belfast by Ahern, who will be campaigning in Limerick, Galway and Cavan, but his diary could change as the week progressed.
Also visiting the North to push for support for the deal will be British Liberal Democratic leader Paddy Ashdown and Conservative Leader William Hague.
The no campaign, meanwhile, is also being stepped up, with dissident UUP MPs backing the efforts of the Rev. Ian Paisley’s DUP and Bob McCartney’s UK Unionists to attract the undecided.
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McCartney said last week voters were bribed and brainwashed and this week it is to be “bullying and blackmail.”
The all-out assault on the undecided vote in the North follows two polls with broadly similar results on Monday that indicated there were still a substantial number of Unionist voters who have yet to make up their minds.
According to a Daily Telegraph poll of Northern voters, 61 percent intend to vote yes, while 16 percent were opting for no and 21 percent were undecided.
When broken down by religion, 89 percent of Catholics backed the deal, but the proportion of Protestants behind it was only 43 percent, with 27 percent against and 28 percent undecided.
A poll for the Irish News and Belfast Telegraph of 18-30-year-olds showed 66 percent in favor and 34 percent against, when the don’t knows were eliminated.
When broken down by religion, 75 percent of Catholics approved the deal. With Protestants, the yes vote was only 25 percent, with 40 percent against and 31 percent undecided. More young Protestants (32 percent) backed Paisley’s anti-deal DUP than Trimble’s divided UUP (30 percent).