Seanad debates

Thursday, 10 October 2002

Address by President of the European Parliament.

 

Senator Higgins observed that there is Constitution and treaty fatigue. I am not sure what name will be given at the end. The exercise has characteristics of being constitutional. If there are objectives, values, rights, directions as to who does what and checks and balances then that is what is found in a Constitution. If Members of the Seanad went to a politics class in Trinity College, UCD or any of the other institutions of learning in the State and asked the lecturer what a Constitution is, the answer would be as I have just described it. I am not sure whether it will be called a basic law, a Constitution or the constitutionalisation of Europe. One of the risks if we do call it a Constitution is that people might say they are happy with the Constitution they have and ask why it is being taken away and they are being given something different. It is not a taking away exercise. It is a simplification and clarification exercise. The name may matter lest people represent in a false way, or misrepresent entirely, what the purpose would be.

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