David Norris (Independent)

This is another classic example of the democratic deficit. A colleague in the other House, Deputy Catherine Murphy, who sent around a very interesting document, pointed out that although we are just discussing the Schedule, which is a short brief piece of prose, it contains wording that has only been used three times before and always in situations when there was a substantial ceding of sovereignty from this country to centralised bureaucracy in Europe. That is a point that should be borne in mind.

The whole treaty is a farce from beginning to end. The Minister, whom I know as a former neighbour and regard still as a good friend, despite our political differences on this specific issue, knows perfectly well it is a farce. What are we voting on? Let us look at the political situation. I said yesterday it is likely that Monsieur Hollande will be the next president in France and he has committed himself to changing the treaty. What we are going to vote on will be changed. It is an illusion, a mirage. There is also the situation, which I find intriguing, of the Dutch Government having collapsed because Geert Wilders got out of it. He is right wing but he cannot stomach and does not believe the Dutch economy, one of the few AAA rated economies in Europe, can take the €15 billion cuts that will be involved.

We have been told, very honestly, that Mr. Begg has said the single reason for voting for the treaty is we have a gun to our head. He is absolutely right. People are trying to point a gun at our head. Senator Bacik, as a distinguished lawyer, must know that a contract extracted under duress has no legal force. If the gun is pointed at our head and an attempt is made to pull the trigger, it will not blow us out of the water. It will blow our assailants out of the water and expose them for what they are, a collection of bullies who do not know which direction they are going in. There has been no centralised leadership in Europe whatever.