Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

Trying to make a contribution in a minute and a half is like writing the treaty on a postage stamp.

It will not be practical or credible to put the treaty in its current form before the people in a second referendum. It would be foolhardy to believe that, after a "No" vote last week, they would simply say "Yes" the next time on the grounds that they really needed time to think about the treaty. The dilemma we face concerns how best to obtain a package in a new round of negotiations that will be sufficient to sell the treaty to the people, while at the same time reaching agreement with the other 26 partners. It will not be easy but there are enough smart people in Ireland and other member states to achieve that objective.

All the talk from the other member states last weekend about having a second referendum the day after the result of the first was so inappropriate as to make them diplomatically naïve and democratically clueless. We need time to focus people's minds on the necessity to find a way forward without contemplating another referendum for now.

We must examine our own consciences. The leading players in the whole debacle, from the Taoiseach down, would want to do so. Trying to insult members of the Opposition in the middle of a referendum campaign was not wise. The former Taoiseach did so much to damage respect for politicians and also torpedoed the campaign because of his failure to nominate a date for the referendum. Owing to the conflict between his duties to the Mahon tribunal and his political duties, he took his eye off the ball.

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