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

My question asked who led us up the garden path. Everybody believed the agreement would be signed, right up to the last moment right until Putin brought Yanukovych over and maybe threatened his oil and gas supplies in the middle of winter when temperatures were minus 30 to 40 degrees. My criticism was there were early warning that the Russian Federation had already moved on Armenia and that seemed to go over the heads of everybody. Everybody was convinced they would sign the agreement. I know it is complicated.

It is unpopular to resurrect this issue, but we did not get down to the issue of oversight. Dr. John O'Brennan mentioned the laughable position of oversight of the EU policies and directives. It is not done. He was quite right to call a spade a spade. Then it was suggested that the Seanad might have a role in the oversight of policy and directive. I have referred to the 226 members of the Oireachtas. Does the single transferable vote issue impinge on the ability, interest or availability of parliamentarians to engage in the "unsexy" vicious hard work of oversight of European policy and directives, which is fairly dry stuff for the best of us? Does he think attending the funeral in County Kerry will be more attractive than sitting here for up to six hours because the volume of the work would require very determined and dedicated politicians?