Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

As I said last week and previously, the referendum to be held will define our future one way or the other. It will either define it positively if we vote in favour and join the fiscal compact treaty, or in a very different way if we reject it. We would then be opting to be in a league that was not centralised and not playing ball with centralised states, a point on which we all need to reflect. We need to realise that, as individuals and leaders within our communities, we have a responsibility to explain the treaty to the people in simple, straightforward, easy to understand language. Unfortunately, the language of previous treaties was complicated rather than straightforward. The first Lisbon treaty referendum would have been successful had it not been for the complexity of language used and the sidestepping by all parties and none but particularly by those opposed to it.

I see the fiscal compact treaty simply as an insurance policy. When people take out an insurance policy on their homes, they sign on the dotted line and agree to certain terms and conditions such as not recklessly leaving windows open or agreeing to set the alarm. With the fiscal compact treaty we are buying into an insurance policy, but in order to make sure it is successful, we must comply with certain obligations. When things go wrong, at least we would have a mechanism in place to support us.

I admire Senators on all sides of the House who have been extremely pro-European. I have listened to Senator Terry Leyden speak for many years and his commitment to the European Union is something of which he can be proud. The Fianna Fáil Party has had a very proud leadership role within the Union which must be acknowledged. While we may differ on certain aspects of the issue, the two major parties in the Oireachtas are, by and large, singing from the one hymn sheet. That is good for Ireland and will be pivotal in ensuring the message is delivered effectively and simply during the referendum in order that when the people vote, they will know what they are voting for. This is crucial as, particularly in the first Lisbon treatu referendum, they did not know what they were voting for.