Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Chairman has caught me on the hop. I thought I would have been last on the list but I will jump in the deep end.

I thank Mr. Freudenstein for his contribution. I must confirm I am a relatively new member of the committee and have been doing a lot of catching up. I read Mr. Freudenstein's documentation which has helped me to clarify a number of issues which have been knocking about in the background. As a parliamentarian I must confess I did not know no roll call vote was called in the European Parliament. It is something which is shocking to have to admit. I do know how the voting system is recorded but one of the basic functions of a parliament is that we should be able to see how people vote.

I do not know whether Yeats or Lenin said that things fall apart when the centre cannot hold. Mr. Freudenstein said it was Yeats but I thought it was Lenin, hence the term "democratic centralism."