Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

It is now almost six months since the Irish people rejected the Lisbon treaty. Opinion surveys by the European Commission office in Dublin, various newspapers and most recently the Government itself, have confirmed what we already knew. The people rejected the Lisbon treaty because it reduced Ireland's political strength in Europe, eroded neutrality and undermined workers' rights and public services. People were also concerned at the impact on tax sovereignty and of international trade agreements on Irish farming.

Since the Irish rejection of Lisbon, Sinn Féin has consistently argued that the Government and EU leaders must respect the Irish vote. We published detailed proposals setting out how these issues could be dealt with and called on the Taoiseach to represent the national interest and use the mandate he had been given. We called on him to tell his EU partners that the Lisbon treaty ratification process must end, that a new round of negotiations must begin and, critically, to state there can be no re-run of the referendum.

Unfortunately, the Government to date has shown little respect for the outcome of the referendum, and so far has refused to raise in any serious way the clear concerns of the electorate.

Sinn Féin believes that Ireland's place is in Europe. We want to see Ireland play a central part in shaping the future of the EU in the interests of all citizens not only of this member state, but Europeans as a whole. For us, this means changing the current course of the European Union. We want to move it away from the centralising, privatising and militarising direction in which it is currently going in favour of a more democratic, social and peaceful one, promoting prosperity and equality for all.

Over the past number of weeks Sinn Féin has had a robust engagement with the Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin, about the Government's proposal to establish a sub-committee to deal with this unfolding situation. In particular, we discussed the make-up of the group and its terms of reference. We were, and continue to be, concerned that the Government is merely preparing the ground for a second referendum. The terms of reference make clear, in my opinion, that the Government is attempting to frame a bogus debate on Ireland's membership of the European Union when what we need to be discussing is the direction of the European Union and Ireland's place in it. Amendments which we suggested to the terms of reference to reflect this reality were rejected, as he will be aware.

Our contention was, and is, that a better deal is possible for Ireland and the sub-committee should be discussing how such a better deal can be delivered. Sinn Féin intends to take up its place on this committee and we will do so for positive reasons, but let me tell the Minister that we will not be part of any choreography to set aside the democratic wishes of the Irish electorate. We are not willing to participate in a narrowly defined stocktaking exercise. We will not participate in any exercise aimed at clearing ground for a re-run of the Lisbon treaty referendum. Opt-outs and declarations will not change the substantive problems with this treaty and, as we made clear in our submission to the Government after the referendum, far-reaching reform is required if the European Union is to be put on the right course. It is not just republicans who need to be satisfied. The Irish people need to have confidence that this process is a genuine attempt to address the concerns raised during the referendum.

If the Government and Opposition parties are serious about engaging in an honest debate in the sub-committee and beyond, it is to be welcomed. We want to be constructive and positive. We want to play our part in ensuring that Ireland remains at the heart of Europe and that the European Union develops in a manner consistent with the needs and aspirations of the people. It is also crucial that the debate encompasses all sections of public opinion, the majority of whom were, and continue to be, opposed to the Lisbon treaty.

In two weeks the Taoiseach will travel to Brussels to attend an EU summit to discuss the fall-out from the rejection of the Lisbon treaty by the Irish electorate and what he intends to do next. The choice facing the Government is clear — either the decision of the people is respected, the Lisbon treaty is set aside and a new treaty negotiated or the Irish Government, at the behest of the EU elite, re-runs the referendum. For Sinn Féin, the choice is obvious. There can be no re-run of the Lisbon treaty. The opportunity that still exists to deliver a better deal should be grasped and we look forward to playing our part in what will hopefully prove to be a constructive engagement over the weeks remaining to the end of next month.

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