Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

I thank Deputy Michael McGrath for sharing time. I will be brief as my party colleagues have articulated the Fianna Fáil Party position of support in this important referendum. It is good that the Government has conceded that holding a referendum is necessary, giving the people an opportunity to have their say on what will be an important amendment to the Constitution. It is important that the referendum is taking place at the end of May. The opinion poll findings published today show four in ten people are unsure of what way they will vote, which means that the treaty is on a tight wire. It behoves all of us in the political parties which support the treaty to get out and sell the message in a very clear manner and layman's terms in order that the general public will understand exactly what it is about.

The Tánaiste and Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade is present in the Chamber. I ask him to encourage his colleagues in the Cabinet and on the back benches to refrain from adopting a partisan approach to the treaty, as it is important that we all support it. It is important that my party is brought on board in support of the treaty. We have already heard partisan comments during the debate, which I do not think are helpful. We need to unite to sell the message to the public about the benefits to be gained in passing the treaty. It is not a foregone conclusion that it will be passed. We have had experiences in the not too distant past when arrogance took hold and previous referendums failed. I, therefore, encourage certain Ministers to refrain from adopting such an approach.

While the treaty will ensure we will have protection in the future, that we will have prudent governance and that we will not end up again in a situation where there is such a high debt to GDP ratio, if it had been in place prior to the crisis, would we be in a different position now? We might be marginally better offer, but we would not be a whole lot better off. Many of the problems we face today are as a result of the disastrous banking policies pursued in the last decade or so, not just by Irish banks but also by European banks. Nothing has been done to bring about changes to ensure this will not happen again. While I accept that the promissory notes cannot be a prerequisite for passing the treaty, the Government should not drag its feet in this respect; it should continue to try to renegotiate the cost of recapitalising the banks because that is the fundamental problem.

The treaty will provide confidence for the markets in the future. Its passage will ensure our ability to avail of the European Stability Mechanism, should we need it. That is very important. It seems the treaty is obsessed with fire prevention methods for a house that is already on fire which is how I heard it previously described. It is a pity there is not more in it to stimulate the economy, as we cannot continue to cut our way to a deficit of 3% of GDP. The Government needs to stimulate the economy. We need to ensure we try to grow our way out of our current difficulties. The 400,000 unemployed want to see what benefits are in it for them to ensure we grow our way out of our problems, rather than cut our way out.

We need to sell a clear message. I compliment the IFA which has brought out supporting documentation for its membership. My party met and discussed the treaty earlier this week. We will be encouraging our members to engage actively in supporting the referendum and I ask the Tánaiste to ensure we refrain from engaging in partisan politics in the national interest. As many have alluded to, we run the risk of being left on the platform if the train goes and the referendum is not passed.

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