The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, last night hailed the Irish rejection of the Nice treaty as a "healthy development" and an anti-establishment statement of which they should be proud.
In an extraordinary intervention, Mr McCreevy last night said he stood by his past criticisms of the European federal project, and claimed his view of Europe was shared by the majority of Irish political representatives, and most of the people of Ireland and Europe.
His view is of a low-tax, low regulation, looser Europe rather than the more ambitious federal project favoured by others.
Speaking to reporters last night after a meeting of EU finance ministers rubber-stamped the reprimand of Ireland over budgetary policy, Mr McCreevy said the No vote was "a remarkably healthy development".
He said he had voted Yes himself, but the lessons of the vote now had to be taken on board in Ireland and other European states. Irish people had shown "for several hundred years" that they did not lie down easily.
He said the reprimand of Ireland over its budgetary policy had been a factor influencing people to vote No, but there had been many other factors as well.
Explaining his view that the No vote was healthy - which he said was due to his being "an old-fashioned 1960s liberal" - he said: "Here we had all the political parties, all of the media both broadcast and print, all of the organisations - IBEC, the ICTU the IFA and everybody else - yet the plain people of Ireland in their wisdom have decided to vote No.
"I think that's a very healthy sign. Politicians don't like it when people vote against them, but . . . I thought it was a very healthy sign that here was a country, despite all the advice, that did what people want to do.
"I think people in Europe and in Ireland should reflect on that particular matter. There is no point in criticising the Irish people. It's their democratic decision. We are a sovereign nation and for several hundred years we didn't take lying down too easily. I think the result of the referendum can be looked at as a positive thing."
He said he had voted Yes as the treaty was fundamentally about enlargement. The Irish people were very committed to enlargement, he said, but had taken "other aspects" into account.
In relation to the future conduct of the Nice Treaty debate, he said he did not think the starting point should be one of saying that the people must be made to vote Yes. "We are a sovereign nation. The Irish Constitution gives the Irish people the right to make decisions on fundamental matters such as this."
A period of time should be allowed to elapse for reflection "and then we'll see what we are going to do. I don't think we should simply take the view that we know best. We must respect the democratic wishes of the people."
He denied there was a split in the Cabinet over policy on Europe. "But there is a definite difference of views between myself and some commentators in Ireland and some people in Europe who want a type of Europe that I do not subscribe to. I'd say I speak for a majority of elected representatives in Ireland of all political parties and for the majority of the Irish people and I'd say the majority of the peoples of Europe think the same way."