Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

However, that is not the route sensible people in this country want to go. The route we want to take is of working our way out of the economic difficulty in which we have found ourselves. In order to do that we have to attract investment and jobs. We are succeeding in that and we want to continue our success. In order to continue that success, there must be confidence in Ireland, the euro and our relationship with the euro. That is why we need to pass this treaty. If we are to avoid what the Deputy calls an orgy of cuts, we need to have access to emergency funding when we require it. If we arrive at 2013 with confidence in Ireland undermined because we rejected the treaty and we are unable to return to the financial markets or access the ESM for emergency funding, there is no coherent answer from anybody who advocates a "No" vote regarding where the emergency funding will be found. There is no answer for the people who work in our public services about how their wages will be paid, for those who depend on social welfare about how their payments will be maintained or for those who depend on hospitals, schools or any of the other services we need to provide. We are working our way out of our economic difficulties and we are making progress in attracting investment. We need to copperfasten that by maintaining confidence and stability in the eurozone and that is why we need to pass the treaty on 31 May.

See this speech in context