Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a sad situation. This leads me to the question I have for Mr. Gay Mitchell, MEP. Was he disappointed that the suggestion was even made that a referendum should take place on such an issue? We must bear in mind that a referendum very often only reflects the mood of a given time. If we look at the bigger picture, we know we will be dependent in some ways on our interaction and influence. Can we hope during the Presidency to interact with Prime Minister Cameron, and not just with him? My honest belief is that he will at that stage have lost control of the momentum he has started. However, we must use this six months to get a message across to the greater population of Britain that there are bigger issues involved than the conditions they may enjoy. There is the issue of saving lives, the issue of being fair, the issue of equality and all of those other issues. I cannot imagine an EU without Britain. It is as simple as that. I hope Mr. Mitchell will be able to respond to us today on how we can play a role in ensuring that will not happen.