Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I ask that the research that will be conducted will be framed not just in terms of why people voted "No" but what they would vote for. We must examine what we are for. People say we are for remaining in the EU and for the European project but what does that mean in practice?

It is fine if people say what should happen in the post-referendum situation. There must be a focus on delivery. Those who campaigned on the referendum have a responsibility not just to produce a list for the Government to negotiate. They should say that they can deliver parties across the EU, or ideally governments across the EU, in support of the new position.

The treaty cannot be ratified, which is clear. We should not go down the road of a second referendum, for the reasons I mentioned earlier. The renegotiation will take time. The reality is that we are stuck with Nice. We must turn our minds to how the continuing operation of the EU can be squared with Nice. The working assumption must be developing our proposals based on Nice rather than developing on the assumption that Lisbon will happen.

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