Dáil debates

Wednesday, 9 April 2008

Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed)

 

3:00 pm

Photo of Tom KittTom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I am sharing time with my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Pat Carey. I will conclude in one minute.

The referendum presents us with an important decision about our future. Two different paths are available to us. The opponents of the reform treaty argue that we should turn our backs on six years of painstaking negotiations, which have produced a remarkable consensus among the 27 EU member states. They suggest that some better outcome could be arrived at on the back of an Irish "No" vote, but they decline to spell out what kind of Europe they want. They are wrong. This is not a path that will bring any advantage to our country. The other path, which requires a "Yes" vote, is that we should retain our national position as a positive and active EU member state moving forward within a reformed union to tackle the many issues that face us. This is the path that makes sense for Ireland's future, for which reason I support ratification of the reform treaty strongly.

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