Professor Edgar Morgenroth:

The one issue that is important to be mindful of is that the Republic of Ireland, as a member of the eurozone and the EU, is required to adhere to certain fiscal frameworks. We are required to have a deficit of less than 3%. Otherwise we end up in a procedure. We had one not all that long ago. We will have to find the money to spend on whatever the subvention might be - we can debate the numbers for a long time - and it will have an implication either for our deficits or our tax-take, our revenue. If we do not find the money and end up running a large deficit we will have problems. In that sense, it could be argued that it is unaffordable without some actions being taken. Governments can take actions. What the people of Ireland decide comes down to the value they place on things. If they place a value on something and vote for it, the money will be found, a solution will be found.