As Fine Gael’s Director of Elections, I have been trying to engage with as many people as possible, through as many platforms as possible, because I believe the Irish people are being asked one of the most important questions in recent years this Thursday.

Voting Yes on Thursday won’t solve all our problems, but it will be a key step along the way, as we rebuild a working Ireland.

At this critical period in our fragile recovery, we need stability, we need certainty and we need confidence in our economy. The fundamental purpose of this treaty is to provide those three elements and for those reasons it is vital for continued security and growth.

This Treaty makes sense. It puts in place rules that amount to good housekeeping and yet it is flexible enough to allow countries save money in good times and dip into a “rainy day” fund when times are not so good.

The referendum on the Stability Treaty on 31 May gives the Irish people an opportunity to create the stability and certainty needed to continue on the road to economic recovery.

On the 31st May we as a country will make a crucially important decision. Voting yes to the Stability Treaty will keep us on the path to recovery. The path of investment, stability and confidence. A no vote would plunge us into a period of grave and damaging uncertainty. That is the stark choice we face.