Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

We have been in the Union for 35 years so we had better stay with it. However, there are many issues to address. A total of 75% of the people I met on the streets of Galway told me that they believed Europe is good for Ireland but 20% of that 75% — this is when I knew we were in difficulty — intended to vote "No" and another 20% were undecided. Those margins were critical in this referendum.

We must now address the issues to move forward. This responsibility rests with the Minister and the Government. In the last few days I have been working with young people and teachers in schools. It is significant that a 12 year old said to me that the "No" side won the Lisbon treaty referendum because, when the campaign started, the Taoiseach, Deputy Brian Cowen, was telling people to vote "Yes" while the "No" side was telling them about the treaty.