Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Why did he agree to push ahead without the British Government on board? Did he not see an opportunity to support the British in terms of not needing another treaty? That was our position before the summit. He stated in the Dáil on numerous occasions that he did not think a new treaty was needed because we could do a lot within existing treaties. The fiscal rules do not go to the core of solving the eurozone crisis. Re-financing sovereign debt is the real question and the summit has failed to deal with that.

See this speech in context