Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

Such exchanges help to formulate one's views and it makes for good politics. I have also particularly enjoyed meeting politicians from other jurisdictions during the past three years. We had the opportunity to meet politicians from Switzerland today.

All Members have taken the odd opportunity to travel to other countries, observe the way in which other parliaments work and listen to what their politicians have to say. As the Ceann Comhairle will be aware, when one travels abroad as a member of a delegation from the Oireachtas, one discovers the great esteem in which Ireland is viewed abroad, particularly in the European Union but also elsewhere. That is something of which we should all be proud.

I am sure the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Treacy, will not mind my reminding him of the time we were in Shanghai together and our having a sense of Ireland having a very good image in China. Irish people living there were delighted to meet Irish people who had just travelled there from Ireland and were able to tell them what was happening at home. The image of the country abroad is superb. We should not be ashamed to stress that in a debate such as this.

I view myself not only as proud to be Irish but proud to be European. I come from a generation when the war was only over when I was young. People still had ration books and were poor. As I was growing up in the inner city, my family told stories about the war which was only over a few years. I bring to this debate my image of that time. In a world which to some extent has been turned upside down with all the conflicts and wars taking place, much has been learnt by European leaders and European countries during the past 60 years. That is significant and a point to which the Taoiseach has often referred. We should be clear about and proud of that, and long may it continue.

Colleagues will always have political points to make about the development of the European Union and I do not have a problem with that in such a debate. People are entitled to have those views. I am simply telling Members where I am coming from.

I want to talk about my town of Tallaght in a few minutes because it has benefited greatly from our membership of the European Union, about which I am pleased and proud. I am disappointed the Minister is not here but I know he is under great pressure——

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