Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-18-Speech-3-021"
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"en.20080618.2.3-021"2
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"Mr President, as an Irish Member, I represent the 54% who voted ‘no’ and the 46% who voted ‘yes’. Those who are true democrats look not only to the result but strive to represent all of the people.
I represent a sovereign state but you cannot uphold the sovereignty of your own Member State – in my case, Ireland – unless you uphold the sovereignty of all Member States. In this context, if other Member States decide to exercise their sovereignty and ratify the Lisbon Treaty, or otherwise, no real democrat, no flag-flying democrat who today claims to be Irish, can legitimately object. Ireland speaks for Ireland; Slovenia for Slovenia. That is real democracy and that is real sovereignty.
A core issue in the Lisbon debate in Ireland was the principle of unanimity. For Lisbon to be ratified, we need unanimity. All 27 Member States must agree – that is core. This is the first real test of unanimity under Lisbon. We must not fail that test and therein lies the challenge. As politicians, our job is to rise to that challenge, to listen to our citizens, to find solutions and to get on with the business of building a better Europe. Some on the ‘no’ side in Ireland spoke of a better deal. Let us be optimistic and look for a better deal for all citizens. We need some time and space in Ireland to reflect and respond to find solutions. The good will for Europe is there in Ireland.
Who could have forecast in 1945, when Europe lay in ruins, that in 2008 we would celebrate 50 years of peace? Let that be our inspiration. Europe is a work in progress, a process – difficult, certainly, but always, always worthwhile. That is why we are here. European citizens want a Union that works. So do Irish citizens. Of that I am one hundred percent certain. Let us not disappoint them."@en1
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