I have said in another place that the Irish left, which has traditionally opposed the establishment of a common foreign and security policy, needs to realise that, had a common European position emerged on the recent Iraqi war, it would have been that of the French and Germans, not that of the British and Spanish, if one takes qualified majority voting as the determining factor in establishing foreign policy. Fianna Fáil is much more pragmatic on these issues and will come around eventually to the notion. However, the Irish left needs to get off its hobby horse on this issue because, if it is serious about ending the tyranny and standing up to the oppression we still see in the world, it must work with Europe in establishing a common foreign policy which is to the benefit of Europe and smaller states.