Mr. Séamas Ó Tuathail:

The answer to that in part is that of course the Oireachtas and legislation have their function under the Constitution, but when the people in the Dáil look up, they see the sovereign people. It is the people who have given the Constitution to themselves.

There is widespread concern about the possible privatisation of water. Then the question is, and I do not know the answer, why not test that concern by holding a referendum and seeing whether a simple majority are in favour of that view, or for any other view, under Article 47. Unfortunately, in terms of the language used about fear, concern and even possible threats, anybody living in Ireland has seen the marches and campaigns by people worried about the cost of this measure, and they are dealing with other costs coming down the track from the recent past.