Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach mentioned that the outcome of the Lisbon treaty referendum, which we all welcomed, was a clear statement of Irish support for involvement in Europe and for the Lisbon treaty, with which I would concur. However, it is difficult to reconcile that with the decision a year earlier. I do not believe we can brush under the carpet what happened in the past year here. We need to ensure greater involvement here in the Houses and with the people with respect to the European project. I do not know when or if there will be another referendum on a European issue. I do not foresee one in the next decade or so. I would not like the practice to evolve where we would always have two referenda, one in which we say "No" and one in which we say "Yes". Let us learn the lesson and let us not be content to dismiss the "No" vote as a blip. Let us not become detached from the concerns the people have. The in-house issues, so to speak, we raised prior to the second Lisbon treaty referendum should be addressed rather than just parked there.

The European Council meeting will take place on 19 November and I concur with many of the points raised by Deputy Kenny with respect to the positions of President of the Council, the high representative and our own Commissioner. It is important that we appoint people of the highest calibre to such positions and I do not believe one is being partisan when mentioning former Taoiseach, Mr. John Bruton, who has done an excellent job in the United States. While I imagine his appointment might not have been welcomed by the secretariat at the time, he went on to prove that politicians can do those jobs quite well. He is to be commended on the work he did and how he kept in touch with people back home on a weekly basis with his very informative bulletin, which clearly indicated how he reached out to every strand and sector in society in the United States during his period there.

The Taoiseach said the Council mainly dealt with climate change. He spoke about the financial burden and endorsing the global figure of €100 billion in international financing per year by 2020. When summing up the Minister of State might give us a breakdown of that figure and whether there will be a commitment from Ireland. One of the great things about ratification of the Lisbon treaty is that, hopefully, we will be able to have coherent policies on these global issues. I note that Professor Bellamy recently stated that there was more snow on the Alps last winter than there had been in the previous 26 years, so there will be the counterargument about climate change. It is very important to have a very clear strategy outlining the scientific evidence showing the negative impact of the road we are travelling and to outline the advantages of taking measures to address it. Such a macro issue can go over the heads of many people. We tip the cap to it and issue platitudes, but we do not really grasp its seriousness.

When appointed, the high representative will be able to deal with important external relations issues. We can play a really important role here. The most emotive external relations issue for Irish people is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I know there is deep thinking in Europe, probably led by the Swedes and followed closely by our Government, about adopting a more proactive approach to trying to solve the problem in the Middle East. I know it has been going on for a couple of thousand years and we do not expect to solve it overnight. However, we could play a role by setting up here in Ireland, whether we use Glencree or whatever, a forum, similar to the forum in Northern Ireland. Let us set up a group here in Ireland and bring the various bodies that are very divisive on the issue together. Anyone who proclaims a reasonable view on the difficulties in the Middle East without coming down 100% on one side or the other is immediately attacked and the extremes have no room for moderation in it. It will not be solved and has not been solved in the past thousands of years by the extremes. The hope that was sent out by President Obama when he came into power seems to have stonewalled, so to speak, and now he is worried by the internal difficulties he will have. He will have to embrace the broader issues and will have to speak to the Syrian and Iranian authorities in an effort to find a solution in the Middle East.

A mindset has evolved which says that the problem cannot be solved. That is not good enough, nor is it good enough simply to park the issue. What is happening in the Middle East - in the West Bank even more so than in Gaza - is unacceptable in any modern democratic society. Ireland can play a crucial and central role by establishing a forum in this State to bring the different groups together for discussions. There is agreement among 90% of the people in terms of what the solution should be. We must seek to move forward from there.

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