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

We are debating very serious issues about the role of Europe, national parliaments and us as constituents. I am the first to admit that, in our attempts to examine democratic legitimacy and accountability in the EU, as parliamentarians we must start to look at our own legitimacy and imagery in the eyes of the electorate right across Europe. It seems to me that we are trying to address the issue of legitimacy and accountability not only for the European Union but also for our own national parliaments. In Europe, we have the swinging pendulum electoral process. Whoever is in gets knocked out and whoever is out gets in. That does not seem to be based on sharp political analysis but on an instinctive human desire to have a better quality of life which national governments are not providing right across the board.

The question is whether we should start trying to make the European Union more legitimate in the eyes of our constituents or if we have to do it in reverse. Do we have to get our constituents right across Europe to understand the role of the national parliament in its relationship with its citizens in order to ensure support for the greater parliament, namely, the European Parliament?

That brings me to the point of the election, which might be controversial. In the past we looked at France and Germany and the United Kingdom to some degree as the big strong boys, and the perception was that everyone who was smaller in terms of population or economic strength was inferior in many ways. We must build the trust of all the economically weaker, smaller countries to attain equal status throughout Europe. The reason I say that is because sometimes people in small countries think that the big boys are always bad. In this country, the Germans are seen as the big baddies. It is easy to speak through a megaphone on a platform and shout that it is all the fault of the Germans when people conveniently forget the role that is played by the national parliament. It is not all the fault of the Germans. In fact, it is questionable how much of the fault lies with Germany.

As to how we create a link between the electorate in this country, Spain or anywhere else when it comes to an election for European parliamentarians, MEPs, I invite Mr. Kitching to elaborate further on the current thinking. We in the Labour Party will put forward Ms Costello as our candidate. She will be represented in the poll as a Labour Party candidate seeking election. There is a gap in the thinking then as to whether she behaves as an independent Irish Labour Party MEP. She does not. There is an important role that should be developed within the European context. We must be exposed more in these elections to the party affiliations, the role of parties, Commissioners and others who represent us in Europe. We need to identify faces.

UKIP is one political group that engages in Irish politics and further afield. It comes to this country and seizes the limelight. There are other oddball individuals whom I will not mention who take a particular stance. Why is there not a quid pro quo from the European political elite to engage more with the national electorate on issues such as this? We tend to cry wolf. I note that 12 EU member states have lost one seat each, so we are not alone, and that Germany has lost three seats.