Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

I find myself largely in agreement with my Independent colleagues on this issue. I do not know whether the Taoiseach noticed the headline in The Irish Times yesterday, "Kenny called to talks with Barroso over euro zone crisis". We are suffering a type of national humiliation in terms of what is happening between us and Europe. The Taoiseach should not be called to any talks by a civil servant in Brussels. The sub-editor who devised this headline in The Irish Times was clearly indicating his subliminal perception that we are the servants and Barroso the dominant force in the relationship. That perception is accurate. What has happened in recent months is that Ireland, because of our economic dependence on Europe, is dancing to the Sarkozy-Merkel tune. We are dancing to the tune of the Commission; we are dancing to the tune of Merkel and Sarkozy; and we are dancing, unfortunately, to their political agenda.

The reality of what is happening in Europe is not so much economic as political. The agenda is being set by the French elections in May next year and the German elections in 2013. An effort is being made by both the German Chancellor and the French President to delay matters to the extent that they do not have to make any decisions which might be electorally damaging for them. Ireland is playing to that particular agenda and hoping to piggyback on the situation. One need only consider what happened this morning in Dublin - if it has not yet happened, it will do so in a few minutes. When Deputy Clare Daly talks about big business and big government aligning with the large powers in Europe, she is absolutely correct. Ireland is, unfortunately, playing its part in that.

The Irish Banking Federation is hosting its annual conference today at which a speech will be delivered - via video link, because he is unable to attend in person - by the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Mr. Olli Rehn. This tells us that big government, big banks and big business are aligning behind a similar agenda. I will be interested to hear the message from Mr. Rehn to the banks. My guess is they will pat each other on the backs, as they always have done and always will do. As Deputies Clare Daly and Richard Boyd Barrett observed, citizens are being forgotten in the agenda which is going forward. There is a political agenda which means that those who are in power, in positions of strength and status, will remain there. There is an electoral agenda to preserve Sarkozy and Merkel. Finally, there is a big business and big bank agenda to save the large banks.

The idea of a referendum is pooh-poohed by everybody on the other side of the House. The great strength of a referendum is not that it would necessarily be binding on the Government but that the Government would be able to go to the high tables of Europe with a mandate in that regard. The Government should not be frightened of a referendum. Rather, it should seize the opportunity it presents.

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