Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The point I am making is that I would be very slow to change the Constitution. There must be a strong imperative to do so. The objectives the Deputy seeks to achieve can be achieved without the necessity of inserting such a constitutional principle into the Constitution. The directives on social policy as part of that constitutional document have provided a means by which we have seen a veritable social revolution in this country in terms of the state of the nation and the quality of life we now enjoy. That flexibility was one of the geniuses behind its creation and subsequent enactment.

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