Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

One must be careful in the immediate aftermath of a referendum which produced a disappointing decision to make comments on the rules of the game, so to speak. People may be of the opinion that one was complaining on the basis that one lost and therefore wished to change the rules. On the other hand, I accept the validity of much of what the Deputy has said. If there were to be a referendum on whether the sun should shine every day there would be an obligation for an opposition to come forward and to create 50% air time for that opposing view. This may be a facetious argument but there have been other examples and the Good Friday Agreement is a good example of a referendum where the same situation applied.

The Government has no plans to change the rules and neither do I. However, a referendum is the voice of the people. The view has been expressed that certain groups may use that facility to take a particular stance on the basis of achieving a profile for subsequent election battles. There is then a danger that the modus operandi that now exists could actually incentivise people to take a particular stance or position in order to ensure they can have the 50% air time and profile which is very significant. That said, there are lessons to be learned on the substance of the debate more than the rules of the game.

Given the complexity of the proposition put to the people, we need to reflect on how it was presented to them. The media soundbite means that one will hear five minutes of one person saying something is black which is counter-argued by five minutes of another person saying it is white, with the punters trying to arbitrate between the two. A far more considered treatment in public sector broadcasting terms of such a complex treaty could have been better handled by us. I do not mean this to be a criticism but it is something which we should consider.

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