Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am not. After this legislation is passed, even though this House will sit, it will be irrelevant. This is because the Members opposite, by their vote this evening, have actually expressed no confidence in this House. It is not a question of allowing a referendum. Members should show me one line in the text that refers to a referendum or a date therefor. There is none. The Members voted to express no confidence in this institution and, therefore, should not bother introducing anything in this House again because there is no point.

This House shall sit again on 16 September. The Taoiseach will move straight away and have a referendum within three weeks. We will hear all the nonsense and lies that started with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, on costs and on this, that and the other. The Taoiseach will try to ram this through. I will do my level best to fight it, not as a Senator but as an Irish citizen, because I really believe that what the Taoiseach is doing is vandalising the Constitution. I said this to him. He is ripping the Oireachtas asunder. Admittedly, it is not perfect, but I would rather imperfect oversight in all its various guises than no oversight at all. I am absolutely disgusted with what has happened today. The Members opposite should take a really good look at themselves and acknowledge what they have done this evening.