Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for that exposé. I consider the European Union to be a fantastic and extraordinary project in which we have played a part for 35 years. We have, in many ways, shaped the Europe in which we now live and have ownership of it. We have benefitted greatly from the EU and have a keen interest in ensuring it functions effectively, democratically and in a transparent manner. I make no apologies for having supported the Lisbon treaty and I am happy that my constituency, Dún Laoghaire, had the highest "Yes" vote at 63.5%. Many constituencies also had high "Yes" votes.

Before we move on we must examine the reasons for the failure of the campaign. The primary responsibility for this campaign lies with the Government, which was preoccupied with its own affairs. It was distracted by the problems of the former Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, its defence of him, the outcome of the Mahon tribunal, the change of leadership, the appointment of the new Cabinet and so on. The Government was preoccupied with its internal affairs and the result was that the "Yes" campaign proceeded without a concerted Government effort, apart from the efforts of the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, who is with us today. The fault for the failure of the "Yes" campaign lies primarily with the Government and mistakes made in the first Nice treaty referendum were repeated. The Lisbon treaty was not lost on its merits; it was lost due to the ineffectiveness of the Government's campaign.

There were various reasons for voting "No". There were protest votes and we now know, through the European Commission survey, that 40% of those who voted "No" did so because they did not know the provisions of the treaty. We know that 75% of people who voted "No" wanted a better deal and considered one could be achieved through a "No" vote. They felt there was no downside to voting "No". There is also a category of people who vote "No" to Europe in every referendum. I do not wish to simplify the situation and the reality is we must analyse the reasons for the "No" vote; we cannot guess. This matter raises questions relating not only to the attitudes of people to Europe but also to politicians, particularly the established parties. There is an issue that trust in politicians has been undermined in recent years due to tribunals and investigations, most recently one that related to the highest political office in the land and forced the resignation of the former Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern. Given this background, people have no trust in the Government nor in people who say, "There is no need to read this treaty. I have not read it. Vote "Yes", Europe has been good for you". This type of trust does not exist after years of tribunals.

The main focus of the "No" campaign was that Ireland can get a better deal. This means we must re-engage with Europe on what can be done to address some of the concerns that have been raised. We must identify the concerns that can be addressed. As I said earlier today, the logic of Libertas, Sinn Féin and the "No" campaign is that we will renegotiate a Lisbon B treaty that will have to be ratified. It could, on constitutional grounds, be ratified by the Oireachtas but it would, most likely, go to another referendum. The Government has not admitted that is the road we are to take but the logic of both the "Yes" and "No" campaigns suggests that a renegotiation of some sort will take place. This process has already begun.

What makes me uncomfortable about the current situation is that our new best friends in Europe appear to be the UK Independence Party, the far right of the Conservative Party in Britain, Jean-Marie Le Pen and Eurosceptics in France, the Netherlands and other member states. I do not feel our future lies in such company. I think that participating fully in the process of European integration and helping to shape that process is where the interests of this country lie.

The Minister of State pointed out that 80% of people are in favour of the European Union but this only highlights the failure of the "Yes" campaign. Irish people are committed to the European project and see Europe as benign and positive for Ireland. Given the basis upon which people voted and the lack of information they felt they had at hand to vote on the treaty, it also highlights that failure.

We have to identify and address the issues that have been raised. In the cold light of day, as the campaign has ended and as we re-engage with Europe on how these issues can be addressed, what will be exposed in the next six or 12 months is that the many and varied issues that have been raised by the "No" campaign are fictitious. There are genuine concerns about Europe, about democracy and about where we are going. While Lisbon would not have represented a great leap forward, there is a concern about what, ultimately, will be the shape of Europe. It is these concerns which must be dealt with. However, with regard to the issues of workers' rights, taxation, threats to the public service and abortion, in the cold light of day after the referendum campaign many of these will be exposed and many people will feel they have been misled by the "No" campaign.

The "Yes" campaign was lost not on the merits of the treaty but by the failure of the Government campaign in terms of timing and getting the information out to people. It will take time to complete the process of analysis of negotiations with Brussels, but the fact that the ratification process is proceeding today in the House of Lords shows the limited scope for renegotiation. We may argue about the legal issues of the treaty not going ahead if one country says "No", but the hard political reality is——