Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)

I thank all Deputies who have contributed to today's extensive debate. It is always welcome to have matters relating to Ireland and the European Union debated in the House. As a former Member of the European Parliament and the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny, I have been a strong promoter of better engagement between the House and our European institutions. This is needed now more than ever, given the difficulties at European level.

I deliberately stated "our European institutions". We are part of the EU and there is no "us" and "them". It will never work if such negative, confrontational language is prevalent. However, this motion is all about resistance to Europe. It comes across as negative and lazy and contains no alternative proposals or ideas. I am surprised some Deputies put their names to it. I despise such language, particularly from those who for years embraced the EU while they saw the supports coming through in the form of access to markets, supports for agriculture and funding for industry or when the cheque comes from Europe every week to pay for social welfare, nurses, teachers and doctors, the very people the Opposition mentioned during this week's debates on the budget and Social Welfare Bill.

I ask every Deputy to support the counter motion proposed by the Tánaiste, to wear the green jersey, as Deputy Boyd Barrett described it-----

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