Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

Even though I explained to them many times the implications of the treaty, they did not want to know. If we take a couple of months to reflect, I hope out of this will come a new period of thinking for all member states.

I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, on their performances at the General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting on Monday. It certainly showed they had reflected on the result of the referendum. There was a solidarity behind our concerns. Small states have done very well out of this treaty and they will not be anxious for us to revisit this. There are many complications in terms of how we can steer ourselves out of this. I do not want to be part of a two-tier system. I never wanted to be a poor relation to anybody. We were always at the centre of the decision making process and I hope that will not change in the future. The line being peddled at present is that we will have a two-tier system and that we will be left behind. I do not want that to happen and neither does Ireland. We have been honoured to be at the centre of things and to be respected. I want that to continue for us.

I hope that after a period of reflection we will be in a position to revisit this issue. I have heard many people say the Lisbon treaty is dead. It is dead as it stands, but we must revisit it in some way. If we got reassurances and protocols were introduced, we may be in a position to present it again. However, at this point we need to think about it and we need to let the public think about it. They have spoken. That is what I love about our democracy. Let us respect democracy, but when we have revisited this issue in our minds, let us return to it and say what we would do. It is clear from a survey that was carried out that a review of this treaty is already taking place in people's minds and that they will revisit it when we put it to them again in some form. I wish the Minister of State well in how it is shaped in the future.