In the aftermath of the Nice Referendum, few in the Leinster House establishment seem to be learning. Bertie Ahern, Michael Noonan and Ruairi Quinn were out mending fences internationally, as they saw it. In the case of Noonan and Quinn, they were also criticising Ahern and the coalition cabinet for daring to admit that they, like the population in general, were now finally debating the issue of what sort of Europe the 26 Counties wants to be in. Free article