Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

The only information we received was that available through the media. We had no information, good, bad or indifferent, from the Government. The intention of the Government was to do everything behind closed doors; have the negotiations and get the bureaucrats to draw up the document, which is the most outlandish, unintelligible document imaginable, and then it would proceed to Lisbon on Thursday and Friday of this week and sign off on the treaty without giving the slightest opportunity to the people of Ireland or their elected public representatives to have any say on the matter. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on European Affairs could not scrutinise the matter because five months after the general election the Government has not formed the committees. That is an exercise in the democratic deficit.

Three hours has been provided for statements. We are not having a debate and no question and answer session is available. Time was only provided for statements because the Taoiseach was pursued on the matter. It appears the lessons of the Nice treaty debacle in 2002 have been quickly forgotten by an arrogant Government which is no less arrogant despite its latest political appendage, namely, the Green Party, which opposed every European Union treaty in the past 50 years. Previously the Green Party saw the bureaucratic Brussels gnomes everywhere, hatching dark conspiracies behind closed doors. They railed against the lack of transparency and accountability in Europe. Now the party is in power for the first time in its history, its members are content to inhabit "Planet Bertie" and meekly acquiesce in the Taoiseach signing off on his, theirs and our behalf without any consultation in this House or elsewhere. That is the way it was planned.

Why is the Green Party doing this? It is not just Fianna Fáil. The Green Party is supposed to act as a safeguard or a policeman. It is doing it because it has taken the Fianna Fáil shilling. The party is now sitting inside the Fianna Fáil tent. Its members are totally emasculated and are indulging in their new comfort zone.

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