Results 301-320 of 1,591 for speaker:Eugene Regan

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: I would like to speak briefly about our reason for having a referendum on the Lisbon treaty.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: The UK constitutional structure is that sovereignty resides in the Crown through parliament. In the Irish constitutional set-up sovereignty resides with the people. This is the reason we are having a referendum in Ireland and the UK is not. I say this because whether Tony Blair or Gordon Browne promised a referendum in the United Kingdom is a matter of domestic politics there. It is not...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: The UK Independence Party wants out of Europe. I do not believe the Irish electorate should be influenced in terms of the referendum on the Lisbon treaty by UK propaganda. We fought long and hard for our sovereignty. It is our decision and it should be based on Ireland's interests. It is important we bear this in mind. We should not be influenced on this issue by the propaganda of the UK...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: I ask that the Leader bring this point to the attention of the relevant Minister who has read the Lisbon treaty.

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (5 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: For the purposes of the discussion I will second the amendment.

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (5 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: I second the amendment. The Minister gave a fairly comprehensive response to the debate and questions raised by Senator Alex White and me on the previous occasion and indicated that the intention of the amendment was to make it retrospective. My concern was that the existing provision provides for the ability of a tenant to renunciate prior to the taking out of a tenancy — assigning the...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: I am very pleased with the outcome of the referendum on the Lisbon treaty. Some 63.5% of the voters in my constituency of Dún Laoghaire voted in favour, which was the highest "Yes" vote in the country.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: It did the same on the first referendum on the Nice treaty and has now done so on the first referendum on the Lisbon treaty.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: It seems that what Dún Laoghaire decides in referenda, the country eventually follows. I would be optimistic about the final solution to this situation. The ultimate solution.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: The Government blew it. The campaign was too little, too late, which is why we got the result we did. If the Taoiseach was in control of his party and given that Fianna Fáil has an opinion poll rating of 42%, where were those people on 12 June?

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: We will debate the matter this afternoon. Those on the "No" side, including Libertas and Sinn Féin have argued for a renegotiation. The logic of a renegotiation is that what is renegotiated must be ratified either by the Oireachtas or by the people in a referendum. The logic of their case for a "No" vote in this referendum is that another referendum will take place on the Lisbon treaty...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: The limited scope for renegotiation is illustrated today with the British Parliament proceeding with ratification of the Lisbon treaty. We are in a very difficult situation. While we in Ireland may say the treaty is dead, the reality is that the rest of Europe does not believe so. However, I will continue my comments in this afternoon's debate.

Seanad: Lisbon Treaty: Statements (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: I thank the Minister of State for that exposé. I consider the European Union to be a fantastic and extraordinary project in which we have played a part for 35 years. We have, in many ways, shaped the Europe in which we now live and have ownership of it. We have benefitted greatly from the EU and have a keen interest in ensuring it functions effectively, democratically and in a transparent...

Seanad: Lisbon Treaty: Statements (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: If the treaty is not ratified, it is up to each member state. The harsh reality is that it is very likely that if Britain proceeds other member states will also proceed. We will have 26 member states that have ratified the treaty. Ultimately, we will have to decide whether we want to remain in the centre of Europe or enter the slow lane. Ireland has long experience of being on the...

Seanad: Lisbon Treaty: Statements (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: It is calling a spade a spade——

Seanad: Lisbon Treaty: Statements (18 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: ——and it needs to be done, because otherwise we cannot move forward.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: We have had some lively debates on the Lisbon treaty but these have taken place generally on the Order of Business. They have been quite limited, and Senator Norris and others have felt rather frustrated that they did not have time to discuss particular aspects of the treaty. Since we are effectively in renegotiation with our partners in Europe on the Lisbon treaty, all the issues raised in...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: The lack of competition among supermarkets in this country is also highlighted by the fact that the prices of 22 grocery items at Tesco and Dunnes Stores were found to be identical. Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002 specifically declares agreements or concerted practices between undertakings to be illegal. The response of Government, which was to suggest that people should shop around...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: That amounts to buying time.

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (19 Jun 2008)

Eugene Regan: The Minister of State has made the case for the resolution to extend the provisions of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act. The Government has at times downplayed the threat of terrorist activities. The most notable example was the case of Paul Quinn, when the former Taoiseach stated, as did Sinn Féin, that this was a criminal matter and that the unfortunate Mr. Quinn was...