Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

I would like to briefly reflect on this debate, which has been an excellent one for this House. I have gained a considerable amount from this debate in terms of the contributions from all colleagues in the European Parliament. Senator McDowell made a very important point when he asked why it was necessary to have a referendum when most people feel that that question is really a barometer of how people feel about the EU.

I understand the point he made, however, it is important that we ask the people to support the new constitutional treaty that will shortly be presented and all of the treaties that have gone before. Holding a referendum puts pressure on those of us in politics to explain the most important change in Europe and this country that we have witnessed in a generation, which is the establishment of the EU. It puts pressure on us to get out there and explain the message and campaign and canvass for it.

If established political parties learn any message from the defeat of the first Nice treaty, it is that they cannot take the electorate for granted. The Irish people cannot be taken for granted and we have a direct responsibility to campaign for something in which we believe. The defeat of the Nice treaty was useful because it obliged all of us to get out there and campaign in future referenda.

Probably the greatest curse in Europe is the march of neo-nationalism, be it Irish, British, French or German. We must always be on our guard against it. The great construction of the European project is keeping a lid on neo-nationalism and all that it represented in terms of the First and Second World Wars. The rise of the British Nationalist Party, Sinn Féin, Mr. Jean Marie Le Pen's party in France, Mr. Jörg Haider's party in Austria is an expression of this deadly neo-nationalism that we must confront. When these political parties make their neo-nationalist claims, they must be confronted.

The suggestion by Ms McDonald today that, by accepting this treaty, we are going down the road of a further militarised Europe is nonsense. Kofi Annan, when he initiated the reform procedure within the UN, said he expects regional autonomies such as the European Union to flex their muscles in the world and to do the job the UN cannot do. The reality is that, if we are serious about upholding UN law and the resolutions decided upon in New York, the EU and similar institutions must be the first people to uphold them. There is no point in having a collection of armies within the EU if we cannot uphold many of the resolutions that pass through the UN at various times. The notion that we can paddle our own canoe against what is happening in the rest of the world or within a region is nonsense and we must challenge it.

We have much to be proud of in western Europe in comparison with the United States of America. Fewer people are incarcerated in prisons in western Europe than throughout the US, by a ratio of approximately 10:1. We spend more on education and health in western Europe than does the US. We spend more on social security protection and have much better labour laws in terms of workers' rights. We have better environmental protections. How is this being brought about? It is a result of countries coming together to work in common cause and solidarity. This is the model we must explain to people when we argue why this treaty must be accepted.

God willing, my three and a half year old will start his first day in school in September 2006. In that school I would like to see a quick summary of Bunreacht na hÉireann — I am sure there is one already — as he and the other children look to see what are their rights. As children go through school, it is also right that they see a summary of the new European treaty. The notion that one can obtain rights from only one country or entity is nonsensical and dated. The concept of the EU is that there are multifaceted rights and different layers of rights which are in favour of citizens. When my child and other children commence their education, I want them to live in a world in which they see their rights and obligations written clearly, whether it is from an Irish perspective or as part of the EU. This is one way we could popularise the notion of the EU.