Seanad debates

Thursday, 12 September 2002

An Bille um an Séú Leasú is Fiche ar an mBunreacht, 2002: An Dara Céim. Twenty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 2002: Second Stage.

 

Nobody voted against the Nice treaty in the previous referendum because they did not like the secrecy. However, the secrecy created the conditions in which people felt free to stay at home, which is the major reason it was defeated. Let me point out again that Javier Solana, the person whom Henry Kissinger can telephone if he wants to find out something, introduced institutional changes which were the direct opposite of what the European Union needs. He instituted total secrecy in terms of his dealings by rushing a directive through the European Parliament late in the summer when nobody was around because he did not want anybody to know anything. He came to Ireland to address a joint meeting of the Joint Committees on European Affairs and Foreign Affairs but said he would only do so if the meeting was in private. We said we would not have a meeting in private and, therefore, he would not have a meeting.

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