There is another issue which is not helped by language problems. I am not sure if there is a French word for "confederation", other than "federation" for the English "federation". In the English language there is a very clear difference between a confederation and a federation. Every time Mr. Chirac or others use the word "federation", shock waves run through Europe. However, if there was a distinction between a federation and the looser arrangement of a confederation, there would be very clear differences of nuance which would be of great importance to Irish people in coming to terms with the concept of being Irish within a broader European Union. That is another debate which has yet to take place.