Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I, too, am happy we are having this debate. It is important to have it before the Taoiseach goes to Brussels to meet other Heads of Government tomorrow. I hope we will have another when he returns.

I could not agree more with the final remarks of the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, that those who care about the future of the European Union and Ireland's place in it need to work together. This is not a time for recrimination or a petty blame game in terms of playing party politics. This is a crisis that Ireland caused, although people are perfectly entitled to vote "No". That is how democracy works but it is not always convenient. It challenges us. In addition, it requires leadership, direction and trust. Many of those aspects were not sufficiently in evidence on the "Yes" side during the campaign, for various reasons on which we may touch. However, I would prefer to focus on what needs to be done, rather than what has happened.

Last Thursday the people made a definite choice and said "No" to the Lisbon reform treaty package on offer. The treaty took six or seven years of negotiation to put together, involving significant involvement by Ireland in the process. Ireland made a mistake last week, although I may be accused of being arrogant in saying this. Of course, I accept the decision. For what it is worth, the people also made a mistake in the last general election but that is a decision l must respect also.

What makes me so deeply disappointed with the outcome last week is that the "Yes" campaign failed. My party suffered a loss and will have to address those concerns. The depressing reality is that the people's trust in politics and their political leaders simply evaporated in the campaign. It is depressing that many simply did not understand the treaty but decided to trust another side rather than the mainstream political parties. The most depressing element, however, is that 500 million people in the European Union are struggling to bring about the necessary reforms to prepare the Continent and this country for challenges that lie ahead. That process has suffered a big setback and in that context, Ireland is in the eye of the storm but we have chosen to be there. While many realise the consequences of a "No" vote, many others who voted "No" did not realise them. We need to be at the centre in finding a solution. If we do not find a path forward, what happened last Thursday will mark a fundamental change, a watershed and a new direction for Irish foreign policy in terms of how Ireland is viewed not only at European level but also globally.

The foreign affairs brief is dismissed by some as being irrelevant to their lives. They may ask what is has to do with the people of Carrigaline, Castlebar or Donnybrook. This foreign policy decision, however, will have a huge influence on the life of every person in the country and his or her children when they grow up. This is about where Ireland and the European Union will be in five or ten years' time. The potential threat is that Ireland will be the catalyst for significantly damaging the way in which the Union does its business and the way in which large and small member states interact. It can also damage the consensus building that has been the basis for so many positive developments in the last 50 years in the European Union, and in the past 35 years here.

The European Union has delivered a quality of life that we take for granted. We take it for granted that countries will come to one another's assistance when necessary. When there are natural disasters such as floods or the outbreak of disease, we take if for granted that countries will help one another. Whether we like it, countries have come together to agree that if the European Union is to continue to be successful, reform is necessary to maintain that momentum.

The first 50 years of the European Union were all about the idealism following the trauma of two world wars in which 67 million people were slaughtered. During the campaign I saw posters with the words, "People died for our freedom, don't give it away", but 67 million people died on the continent of Europe.

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