John Crown (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I cannot believe that anybody at a European level would come out with this ruling. I know our Fianna Fáil colleagues have said they will support it. I believe we should make a symbolic rejection of this Bill, not for the positive public health matters, which are encouraging - and we will attempt to amend it to within an inch of its life if it gets to Committee Stage - but to send a message to the EU that something stinks about this. How could anybody in their right mind actually try to make it easier for people to engage in a cheap price war on behalf of tobacco products? How could they do this? Unless I am really, as George Bush would say, misunderestimating what is in this thing, it seems to me we are basically being forced to be complicit in the making of a bad decision to the benefit of the tobacco industry, which should be our unambiguous sworn enemy.