Perhaps the greatest endorsement of our membership of the EU is that some of the applicant states see our country as an example of the importance of membership to themselves. Many of the applicant countries are in a similar position to that held by Ireland when it first joined the EEC. They see how we have thrived through our membership of the Union and how we have been able to develop through our use of Structural and Regional Funds. Ireland is the reason that some of the smaller countries want to join the Union in the first instance. It is true that voting "No" to Nice will not legally prevent some of these countries from joining the EU. However, a "No" vote will slow down their applications dramatically. Do we really want to be seen as preventing them from enjoying the benefits we have enjoyed for many years?