Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is the fundamental question we face. It has nothing to do with what happened in 1801 or any dictatorial aspirations on the part of the Taoiseach. It is about the latter following up on a commitment he gave to the Irish people, a commitment that was supported by the Fianna Fáil Party and Sinn Féin in the course of the election campaign that followed. The Irish people are sovereign on this issue. It is for them to decide whether they want a bicameral or unicameral parliamentary system. I spoke recently to a person from the United Kingdom who is the same age as me. When I asked why there is such upheaval on the question of Britain's position's in Europe and in respect of the euro, the reply was that this person, at 42 years of age, had never had an opportunity to vote on these matters. We are simply asking Senators to support our proposal to put the matter before the Irish people. The referendum will, for the first time, give voters in this country the absolute right to decide what type of parliamentary model they want.