Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I welcome Mr. Bruton back to Leinster House and I thank him for his interesting contribution. He spoke of conversations across America which I am sure will be the title of his next diary. Mr. Bruton spoke of the European Union giving us a psychological sense of security. The US has had this sense of security for three generations, largely due to its geographical and political isolation. I recall Mr. Bruton's former government colleague, Mr. Peter Barry, speaking on many occasions of the little travel done outside of the US by American citizens. Many of them do not hold passports and their world is just America.

Yesterday saw an important election in the US. Most EU commentators spoke of how the war in Iraq would impact on how America voted. The early indications from exit polls, if one can take them as a bearing of any real news, was that the war in Iraq was not the main issue so much as domestic concerns such as the strength of American economy. A recent meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs was addressed by a delegation of EU trade representatives to the United States. They too provided statistics pointing to the major economic interdependence between Europe and the United States. Does Mr. Bruton believe there is full political recognition on both sides of the Atlantic of how truly dependent we are on each other?

The ambassador, Mr. Bruton, said he is aware of the warmth that still exists in the United States towards Ireland. One presumes and hopes there is similar warmth of feeling towards Europe. The regrettable reality, however, is that in the last decade, not only in Ireland but throughout Europe, there is increasing evidence of anti-United States sentiment. Does the ambassador believe there is a growing recognition in the United States of this new wave of feeling? There are reasons for this sentiment, some of which are justifiable and others not. Is this becoming an issue for the people Mr. Bruton meets? United States citizens are not stupid; they recognise this uncomfortable wave of antipathy. How will this affect the attitude of the United States and its political leadership to Europe?

My final question relates to climate change, global warming and energy policy. I read a report some weeks ago in the Irish Farmers' Journal, a newspaper with which the ambassador, Mr. Bruton, has a strong association, on a major conference on alternative energy that took place recently in the United States. The significance of this from a political perspective was indicated by the address of President Bush to the conference. It seems genuine progress is being made in the United States towards alternative energy systems, especially those that link strongly with agriculture. Does Mr. Bruton believe this level of progress is making a significant difference? Is there much that we in Europe can learn fromit?