John Bruton (Meath, Fine Gael)

The spirit of my remarks was addressed to the 60% of the population of Donegal who did not vote, rather than the Senator.

I appreciate Senator Hanafin's comments. The wording we proposed with regard to the question of including a reference to God in the proposed constitution is entirely non-sectarian. It includes people who do not believe in God as well as believers from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths. I find it difficult to understand the reasons for the objections to the proposal. It is almost as if the people concerned have a problem accepting that other people believe in God. Perhaps they feel it is somehow wrong to acknowledge that others believe when they do not. The intolerance that used to be expressed by believers has been adopted by non-believers who have become as intolerant as believers ever were. I discovered this in the few weeks since I made my proposal and, while it should not have been the case, I was surprised.

I acknowledge the serious point made by Senator Ulick Burke about the potential effect of current divisions in Europe on the negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy. I hope his concerns are not realised.

Senator Kitt is correct that there is preferential treatment for nuclear power. There is also preferential treatment with regard to the state aid regime and the research budget. Under current arrangements, nuclear power does not have to compete with other energy sources on the same basis. From our point of view, a renegotiation of the EURATOM Treaty is an opportunity to correct some of these matters. However, we will not be able to halt the production of nuclear power in Europe. We can at least ensure that it competes on a level basis with other possible energy sources, which it does not do under current arrangements. That is why it is worth raising the issue.

As far as constituencies for the European Parliament are concerned – I do not know whether Senator Kitt is contemplating standing for election – I believe two-seaters are about as low as one can go. I am not sure if Members are aware that Spain is a single constituency in terms of elections to the European Parliament. Furthermore, the candidates are selected by the party leaders. A Spanish MEP who is anywhere near the top of the list need not worry about any voter other than his or her party leader.