Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

-----by stating if there is a "No" vote they will pay more tax and have more cuts and austerity. While I have much regard for the Minister, this follows other comments made by the Minister of State, Deputy Creighton, and the Minister, Deputy Coveney. With four weeks to go, I ask the Government very simply to be aware the treaty itself has many merits and we should stick to these. We should stick to the scorecard and access to the ESM should we require further funds but cannot go back to the markets. This is what we are about. While I respect their views, those on the "No" side have no alternative to this.

The Minister for Finance should not be threatening people by stating if they do not vote for the treaty they will have a "dramatically more difficult" budget this December. I feel very strongly about this and it should be stopped immediately. It follows the remarks, which I will not quote because they cannot be substantiated, reportedly made at a Fine Gael meeting where the Minister, Deputy Coveney, stated they would get tough if it looked like the campaign was not going the way it should. It behoves all of us on the "Yes" side to present a positive message to inform people about what the treaty is about and not about. This is just a part of the jigsaw; it is not the panacea to all our ills. God Almighty, do not go threatening the Irish people by stating if they vote "No" the sky will fall in.