Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

Backing Lisbon will result in our retaining our Commissioner indefinitely. Claims that this arrangement is somehow time-limited are entirely bogus. This is a considerable victory for Ireland because some member states, particularly the Benelux countries, wanted a smaller Commission. There was a legitimate argument in Europe about this. They were willing to accommodate us because they accepted this had been a real issue in the last referendum. I acknowledge that. People spoke about this when they voted. We have responded to that vote and made changes. We fought for and negotiated a Commissioner for each member state and we have achieved it.

What happens if the Lisbon treaty is not ratified? The Commission to be appointed in November 2009 will have to have fewer than 27 members, which is the legal position under the Nice treaty. This means that not all countries can be represented. The bottom line is this: the only way in which we can be guaranteed to keep our Commissioner is to ratify the treaty. It is the only way. The posters that went up saying "Vote No to keep your Commissioner" will now have to say "Vote Yes to keep your Commissioner". There is no other logical construct that one could put on it. That is an important point.