Dan Boyle (Green Party)

I hope the debate will be understood in those terms.

In terms of where we are as a country and the need to consult widely with the people, the decision that has been made was a sovereign decision of Government. I agree with Senator O'Toole that we need to have a debate on the question of sovereignty. We have made many decisions in recent years about the nation and its sovereignty, how we pool it in the European Union and in the form of the euro currency, and how the policy decisions that have been made by successive Governments, which have made this one of the most open economies in the world, have exposed us to the situation in which we find ourselves. Those are all factors that have undermined sovereignty in this country and we need a debate in those terms.

In regard to the finer detail of the debate, I stress to Members that many of the aspects of this agreement require legislation to be passed, including legislation to deal with the National Pensions Reserve Fund. There will be opportunities to consider the finer points and details and to have the required votes and actions of parliamentary democracy in this and the other House.