David Norris (Independent)

I agree with Senator White on one thing: it is important that we have this debate because it shows we have democracy in the country. However, we appear to be the only country in Europe that has it. We, as a very small nation, are voting on behalf of the entire people of Europe. Our trade union movement appears to be somewhat divided because it is terrified. However, throughout Europe the trade union movement is recommending against doing this because it is a fraud from top to bottom. There is not a reputable economist who has done the figures and is able to say that Ireland can meet the targets to which we are committing ourselves. The same is true in Spain. The Spanish signed it in the morning and said in the afternoon they knew they could not meet them. Germany postponed its ratification. In France the newly elected President Hollande has said he will try to renegotiate some aspects of it.

As I said earlier, this is not something that is fixed. It is unstable and amorphous - we do not yet know its shape. Yet the Government adamantly sets its face against what I asked - I believe I was the first politician in either House to do so - which is to postpone the referendum. Who is telling us it is not possible to do so? It is the Referendum Commission. Since when was it the Supreme Court of this country or the European Court of Justice? It has exceeded its brief in this in my opinion and the documentation that has emerged from it is not unbiased, as an analysis of the language will show. Just yesterday I had to point out that the Government, in my opinion, illegally used money to fill every box in this House with 60 pieces of deliberately pro-austerity treaty material.