Cóir was one of the most strident voices on the No side during the last Lisbon referendum – but is it really a front for Youth Defence?
IS IT a front for Youth Defence or a grassroots pro-family movement? Ultra right-wing extremists or committed campaigners with a conscience?
It goes by different guises, but one thing is clear: Cóir has got people talking again.
It was the organisation responsible for the most eye-catching posters of the last election, such as the “three monkeys”, with its stark warnings that voters would lose power, money and freedom.
This time around, it has been the first campaign group out of the blocks, blitzing the capital with posters about issues ranging from the minimum wage to EU subsidies.
Much of the talk this time has centred on who is behind Cóir and whether, as Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has suggested, they are a front for the controversial anti-abortion group Youth Defence. Cóir describes itself as a voluntary non-profit organisation whose aims are to inform the people of Ireland on the “dangers of the Lisbon Treaty and the democratic deficit in the European Union”.
What its website doesn’t say is that the organisation operates out of the same building on Capel Street in Dublin that accommodates Youth Defence, the Pro-Life Alliance and that also hosted Justin Barrett’s Mother and Child campaign.
Youth Defence has courted controversy in the past with its direct action, while the Mother and Child campaign was badly damaged during the 2002 campaign on the Nice Treaty when its emerged that Mr Barrett had associations with right-wing, quasi-fascist organisations in Europe.
In addition, some of its leaders, such as Niamh Ó Broin (formerly Niamh Nic Mhathúna) are closely associated with both Youth Defence and the Mother and Child campaign.
Brian Hickey, Cóir’s spokesman and a member of the Christian Solidarity Party, says that it has nothing to hide. He describes the group as an independent organisation that is lucky enough to have the “support and energy” of some Youth Defence members.
“Sharing the same building doesn’t make you the same organisation. Cóir pays rent for the use of the building,” Mr Hickey said.
He said that Youth Defence was “a fantastic organisation” and a lot of it members were “very keen, motivated and hard-working volunteers . . . it’s not a question of distancing ourselves from them”.
Of Cóir’s estimated group of 2,600 volunteers, Mr Hickey said most, if not all, shared concerns about issues such as the right to life and that the majority were from a Christian background.
The organisation is planning to spend about €250,000 on some 11,000 posters and up to one million leaflets.
It says that it has raised about half of that sum so far – mostly from individual donations – and insists that it has not received any donations from Youth Defence or any other organisation.
It says it is able to keep its costs down by designing and producing everything in-house, booking advertising space where it can best reach undecided voters, and backing it up with door-to-door canvassing.
In contrast, it says the big political parties have spent a fortune on advertising but failed to back it up with proper canvassing.
In the meantime, Cóir says the “smear campaigns” against it will not work. It points out that its membership is up by 30 per cent on last year and that many of those who worked with groups such as Libertas are joining the organisation.
“Anyone is welcome to join Cóir and they are doing so in increasing numbers,” a spokesman said.
“In the meantime, Fianna Fáil are terrified of going near the doors.”
A dragon-dragonflies:
And one, viral, somehow trying to eat his own wings:
Like always an old drawing:
A dragon-dragonflies:
And one, viral, somehow trying to eat his own wings:
Like always an old drawing:
BARRY ROCHE, Southern Correspondent and ELAINE EDWARDSMinister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has launched a strong attack on some anti-Lisbon treaty groups accusing them of running a campaign based on lies and untruths.
Mr Martin said the Irish people deserved an honest debate that focused on the real issues involved in the Lisbon Treaty and there should be no role for groups "cynically trying to hide their role".
Mr Martin accused anti-abortion group Youth Defence of masquerading behind "their front group, Cóir" and he said no one should be in any doubt but that Coir and Youth Defence were one and the same organisation.
He said Cóir's leaders were all associated with Youth Defence, the two organisations shared the same address and Cóir's poster designs all come from Youth Defence.
"In fact as of early last week, there was not one single mention of Cóir on the door or windows of it supposed offices which were in fact decorated solely with Youth Defence logos and posters," he said.
Mr Martin said the posters put up by Youth Defence on Friday night claiming that ratification of Lisbon would be a betrayal of those who died in the Easter Rising was "both a disgrace and an insult to the heroes of 1916".
"It is the duty of every person who respects the great generation which sacrificed so much for us to come out and work against these people and what they stand for," he said.
"Pro-Europeans must start speaking up and pointing to the clear fact that it is the ideas of anti-EU groups which represent a move away from the ideas of sovereignty and identity upon which this state is founded.
"Their insular, defensive approach to Europe has no serious precedent in our history and it has nothing new to offer us now," said Mr Martin in a speech to the Ógra Fianna Fáil conference in Cork this morning.
He also accused Youth Defence of peddling lies and untruths with their claims that ratification of the Lisbon Treaty would lead to abortion becoming available in Ireland and to the national minimum wage being cut to €1.80 an hour.
"People on all sides are entitled to be heard but the issues in this referendum are too serious to let a shadowy and extreme group distort the debate with a deeply cynical campaign," he said.
Spokesman for Cóir Richard Greene said attempts by Mr Martin to "smear" the group's campaign were “entirely pathetic”.
Mr Greene said the Minister’s comments “smacked of desperation", since he was "clearly aware that Cóir’s canvassers are already having a significant effect right across the country”.
“The Minister can bluster as much as he likes, but the fact remains that the Lisbon Treaty does nothing for Ireland and Cóir are engaged in a nationwide campaign to ensure that voters understand the treaty and the reasons to vote No,” said Mr Greene.
He said Mr Martin had previously “tried and failed” to attack Cóir by alleging it was a front for Youth Defence.
“When will the Minister realise that voters have no problem with either Cóir’s pro-life stance or the fact that, while Cóir is an independent organisation, we are lucky enough to have the support and energy of some Youth Defence members.”
“Fianna Fáíl spent their time accusing Cóir of lying about Lisbon and abortion last year. Yet their own research showed that most people believed Cóir on the issue,” said Mr Greene.
Mr Greene said Fianna Fáil and the other political parties had "thoroughly disgraced politics, and cost the taxpayer tens of millions of euro paying for tribunals investigating the murky and dishonest nature of Irish political life".
He said that the Minister’s "real problem" was that Cóir volunteers were busy canvassing and postering with the same excellent material produced last year and were having a significant effect on voting intentions.
“We have over 2600 volunteers this year, an increase of 30 per cent over last year; a million leaflets are going out and 11,000 posters are being erected. Anyone is welcome to join Cóir and they are doing so in increasing numbers. In the meantime, Fianna Fáil are terrified of going near the doors
Eve interviews Emily Lau, Owner and Designer of The Little Bra Company, about the inspirations behind her vava-voom enhancing bras for small busted women. 
Emily is one woman who definitely knows how to Celebrate Her Inner Eve and is helping all of us Celebrate ours too!
A try for Selena Gomez:
This is an old drawing…
The same monster head now, it show a little evolution, bus doodle:
And of course another women doodle… what can I say… I like them:
A try for Selena Gomez:
This is an old drawing…
The same monster head now, it show a little evolution, bus doodle:
And of course another women doodle… what can I say… I like them:
(Eberjey Delirious Bra in pink brings about a flirty, girlie mood {image two above} while the white Eberjey Retro Bralette invokes a sweet, romantic innocence when putting it on {imgae directly above})
