Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was not around at that time.

The salutary lesson to be learnt from there is horrific. By proceeding in that direction, two groups that had nothing in common with each other, other than to take over and seek to gain advantage from the situation that prevailed at a time of economic distress, moved forward in common cause.

I hope we learn the lesson from this shock, as it is likely to be for us. We need to remember that it is not the European Union as a Union that dictates things; it is individual member states that decide to go their own way. How could it be possible to allow a situation to develop whereby each member state, as a member of the Union, demanded to impose more of their will on the Union? It cannot happen that way - not with 27 or 28 member states, not with ten member states, not even with two member states. We hope the lesson has been learnt.

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