Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As I said, Ireland has the opportunity to opt out or opt in thanks to the people voting a second time on the Lisbon treaty, and we achieved that the last time. Even a moderate like the Polish President, Donald Tusk, is saying he will not take any. The legal basis for Ireland to opt out of the migration treaty is contained under Lisbon, as I said. I believe this is a serious violation of our national sovereignty. The decision on who we want to accept would be made neither by the Irish authorities nor under Irish law but by unelected people in the European headquarters. That is a serious situation and is why the public are so worked up about this, rightly so. It cedes our sovereignty, and the Minister cannot say otherwise. The fact is that the Government will not put it to the people and allow the people to decide. It is passing it through both Houses of the Oireachtas, where it has a contrived majority and it knows it will get what it wants, and it will limit its time in committee. The people need to have their say on this. The people rightly feel that they have this right as a result of Lisbon II, when the Government of the day was forced to put the question to the people a second time.

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