We all know the Irish Box was established to keep the Spanish out because they never behaved themselves, and we are now opening it up to them. We are not blameless in this and we must accept some of the pain. It is absolutely daft to argue to exclude the Spanish, on the one hand, while on the other hand we want to expand our catches. If we are serious we must become involved in conservation. The irony is redoubled here because if we go for conservation and then let the Spanish in, having suffered ourselves, it will be complete madness.