David Norris (Independent)

I will leave it at that. I am not exaggerating myself and saying I am the great panjandrum who can solve the whole thing. I am not making that claim. I am just saying that if one looks back at the record of the House, one will find something very interesting. Perhaps it would have been useful if we had been allowed, not by the Parliament or by the parties but by the media, to discuss these ideas publicly. Then maybe we would not be in quite the mess we are in. I do not like saying "I told you so", but I am unapologetic in saying that I have been cogent and consistent and, lamentably, I have been proved right.

This is my final point, and then I will sit down. I received able assistance from one of the Minister of State's valued colleagues in the other House. I am not sure if I am allowed to name him, but his first name is Peter. He contacted me to say that he thought my ideas were right, but there were no figures attached. I said that was because I am not good at figures. He supplied them to me, and on every occasion those figures have proved accurate. The Government has the wisdom and resources it needs within the Minister of State's own party. I would certainly support it. Obviously, his feeling is similar to that of myself and Senator Cullinane - that we are in a mess, we are being forced to do things that may well be dangerous, and we hope they will not explode in our face. We hope it is a developing situation and that we may achieve an easement. We have gone along with everything required of us by the EU, yet we are being treated worse than any other country.