Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Does the Taoiseach not accept that his assertion — that the efforts to explore how to put the Lisbon treaty to the people again are democratic — flies in the face of people's understanding of democracy? A direct analogy would be if, in the event of a general election going against the Taoiseach, he were to turn to the people and ask them to hold on until he consulted with them to see why they did not vote for him and rejected him, and if he were to hold a second general election in order to ensure he had a manifesto people could support and commitments just as useful as the commitments he hopes to secure with regard to the Lisbon treaty. This is exactly how people feel. The Taoiseach's argument that this is a further exercise in democracy does not stand up. People are not buying it and it holds no water. The Taoiseach does himself no good service by taking this position.

What is the view of the Taoiseach of the remarks of the Minister of State, Deputy Dick Roche, that these so-called agreements, declarations and protocols will not be ready by June? Does that influence the Taoiseach's thinking on the timing of the referendum? Perhaps the Taoiseach has not yet decided on the matter but is he considering running the second Lisbon treaty referendum in tandem with the local and European parliamentary election and other possible by-election scenarios on the same day in June? Are we facing a scenario in which the people will be asked to make a further judgment on the Lisbon treaty and, like a pig in a poke, be asked to buy something without seeing firm agreements in black and white and their legally binding value? Is the Taoiseach seriously considering this?

In speaking about the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, what is the Taoiseach's view of his repeated assertion that the Irish people's decision to reject the Lisbon treaty has in some way contributed to the current economic recession? Does the Taoiseach believe this claim to be just as off the wall as some of the claims made by people who campaigned on the "No" side in the course of the Lisbon treaty referendum debate? I am prepared to acknowledge that not everybody was presenting a factual scenario in their arguments but is the Taoiseach not prepared to be at least as gracious in saying that this continued effort and utterances by Ministers — or half Ministers in the case of Deputy Roche — are equally outrageous and off the mark? They have no place in this debate.

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