Peter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I wish to share my time with Deputy Edward O'Keeffe.

The result of the referendum represents a major disappointment for those of us who advocated a "Yes" vote in the certain belief that this treaty represented a good deal for Ireland, an Ireland at the heart of Europe and an Ireland shaping events in Europe for our benefit in the way we have done for 20 years.

That said, we live in a parliamentary democracy and the voice of the people is sovereign. One of the ironies is that the "No" camp has said consistently in every referendum we have had for the past 25 years that we were throwing away our sovereignty and democracy. The greatest expression of our sovereignty and democracy was the "No" vote last Thursday, which was the people's right. However, it gives the lie to all the threats of loss of sovereignty that have been articulated by those who are basically anti-Europe, and I count Sinn Féin as being at the heart of that anti-Europe campaign.

I regret we did not have a proper and informed debate on the consequences for this country of "Yes" or "No" vote. We did not have a real debate on Ireland's strategic position in Europe and, more importantly, in the world in the event of a "No" vote. That did not happen because if one was to engage in that debate, one would have been accused of scaremongering and of being negative.

The debate turned mostly on issues which were not in the treaty. That is a source of great regret because when the legislation was passing through the House, I said we had to have this debate and present a choice to the people. The people needed to know that if they voted "Yes", consequences would flow from that and that if, in their wisdom, they voted "No", certain other consequences would flow, consequences that are negative, long-lasting and very disadvantageous for our country. It is unfortunate we did not have that debate but the people spoke and the decision is respected. We must now reflect and then move forward in a constructive manner.

This debate presents an opportunity to begin to tease out the reasons for the decision. We should be clear that the treaty represented a very delicate balance of the interests of 27 member states and came at the end of a long process. The idea that it could be readily made better and this very simplistic and populist approach adopted by the "No" campaign that it could be easily renegotiated were very far off the mark, very fanciful and very misleading. It cannot be renegotiated, it is not as simple as that.

In a hard-fought campaign, many issues which had very little to do with the treaty were debated. This treaty was not a rejection of the European Union or a desire by this country to reduce our engagement with our partner countries in Europe. We continue to share the goal of a Union that is equipped to meet the challenges facing Europe in an increasingly competitive and troubled world.

The European Union has faced enormous crises since it was founded over 50 years ago but it has the genius, capacity and imagination to overcome crises in the spirit of partnership. If we do not deal with those crises and engage with the European Union, the 27 member states will not able to tackle one issue which represents the greatest threat to Ireland and with which we are not equipped to deal because of this vote, that is, what is at the end of a very long pipeline from Siberia. As a pool of countries, we are not equipped to negotiate a secure energy supply. In a week in which we have seen energy prices go through the roof, that represents a very dangerous turn.

See this speech in context