Mr. Joe Noonan:

It does. As I was in my office yesterday and going out the door, my eye fell on the bookshelf on exactly what the Deputy is talking about - I had not been looking for them - which is the guide given to everybody at the time of the Nice treaty and the White Paper, and they say exactly as the Deputy describes.

Professor Tonra is correct that there were different views taken about the strength of that at the time. I took the view that it was not as strong as it was being sold to the people as. Funnily enough, the people who were selling it then are now saying to the people that it is not strong. It is an interesting dynamic in Irish political life over 20 years. That is both amusing and serious. Simon Harris, when he was introducing the general scheme of the occupied territories Bill yesterday, was calling on everybody, including Opposition Members, to call their counterparts in other countries to try to get them to instigate something similar. He used a phrase that really registered with me. He said it is very lonely out there. That is what Simon Harris is saying now. Imagine how lonely he or his successors would feel if the bargaining counter of the triple lock is gone and they are in those Council of the European Union chambers-----