I echo the sentiments voiced this morning by my fellow Senators. This has indeed been an extremely dirty campaign, with false statements and misinformed posters that should have been removed. During my two and a half years in this House, I have witnessed excellent debates with fantastic contributions by many expert people in their field. This stands to the strength of this House, which is that Members are doing what they were elected - or in my case appointed - to do, namely, to discuss areas of concern and to scrutinise and strengthen the legislation. This I believe Members have done with more than 500 amendments. Were this referendum to be passed - I firmly believe and hope it will not - I would worry about the State and what will happen to this country, were power to be given to a smaller group of people. I would worry about the committees that will be appointed because they will be appointed by the Government of the day. As for this suggestion of an expert group of witnesses, expert groups of witnesses already come into Leinster House. I meet such expert groups every single week and I learn from the different groups from all sides and then use that information to bring it back to the Minister of the day. Having a second Chamber offers so much and it is needed. I hope that when the referendum is defeated on Friday, Members will have the opportunity to come back and have a better, reformed and more powerful Seanad. I thank those people who have inundated me with telephone calls, messages, letters and e-mails, wishing all the Senators well in the forthcoming days. Such people appreciate the work that Members do and the job they can do, if allowed.

Tomorrow, two referendums will be held in which the people will be asked to vote, the first of which affects this House. While it does not particularly affect those Senators present today or the 60 Members of Seanad Éireann, it affects future generations and it affects our democracy. For 800 years, we struggled to obtain independence. For 800 years, we did not have a defined role in making our own laws for our own people. For 800 years, we struggled in a tyrannical situation. We now find ourselves in a situation in which Europe is playing an ever increasing role in our democracy and in the laws that dictate in our country but they are not being scrutinised in this Oireachtas in any way. Moreover, Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú made reference to this yesterday, there may well be a darker side to the European and German influence in trying to reduce democracy and the voice of the people within Ireland's Parliament and to have more federalisation at a European level. This would be a step in the wrong direction. While the making of laws is important to our people and the implementation of those laws costs millions and millions, yet there is a refusal to debate the laws adequately by refusing to engage in real political reform at a time when it was never needed more. This is a false dawn and is a political consequence. When one considers the other House, in which the Fine Gael, Labour Party and Sinn Féin Deputies, that is, 127 Deputies out of 166, are advocating to get rid of this House, one must ask why.

As for the other referendum to be held tomorrow, I believe the Government and the commission, particularly the former, should have engaged with the electorate more substantially on the serious referendum on the appeals court. I believe it is an important referendum that affects the legal system. It is a dangerous referendum in the sense that it is not addressing the waiting lists or the legal costs associated with the court system and I believe the Government has done the people a disservice by not engaging in debate on that a referendum. How dare the Government ask the people to vote in a referendum on which it was not willing to debate? Then again, where is the Taoiseach?

Much has been said about the referendum tomorrow and I find that the public is still confused. As I am sure are all the other Members, I still am being asked by people how they should vote. I believe it comes down to a single fairly simple message, which is vote "No" for the citizen and vote "Yes" if one wishes to put power into the hands of fewer people. This is what it is about for me. If we close down the voices, we will be closing down representation and diversity. We will be devolving power into fewer hands, which ultimately is a blow to democracy. Regardless of the outcome tomorrow, Members still have a duty to serve and a debate is needed on political reform. Moreover, Members have a contribution to make as they are being paid by the taxpayer and have a job to do. Whatever the outcome may be, they must accept it.

I also have grave concerns in respect of the second referendum and I do not believe it is sufficiently understood. On foot of the reading I have done on the subject, I am not convinced that a new court of appeal will solve the backlog. In fact, the lesson I have been learning is that reform of the court system is needed, as is better case management. Again, the answer is to have reform on both fronts and that is my request. Members need to get up and to get on with it. Next week is a new business week and whatever the outcome, Members should get involved and earn their spot here in the interest of reform for the citizens of this country.