Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

Anyone who knows anything about politics or political economy understands that point. We are engaged in a democratic process. We must address the concerns that the people raised, as they are entitled to do, in terms of the democratic decision they made last May. That is what we are doing.

Sinn Féin has decided to use a different tactic, namely, to go about suggesting to the Irish people — I cannot recall how many amendments Sinn Féin was seeking, it may have been 25, in its famous document produced within a week of the rejection of the Lisbon treaty — that if the Government does not achieve what it suggests it cannot put the treaty to the people. Deputy Ó Caoláin has a problem in that the other 26 member states do not agree with him.

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