Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Gabh mo leithscéal. The Minister of State is quite sharp on that. I am speaking as I did last week. We are on amendment No. 74, which I am totally opposed to. The Minister of State is trying to make his slipshod way out of this. As I said last week, from the start of the Bill, people cannot understand the Minister of State. He just will not listen to anybody. He has been captured completely and utterly by the officials or by somebody. Even in Wexford, the racing fraternity tells me the Minister of State will not meet them. They cannot meet him even though his dad is still alive and well, thank God. I was in here with him and he would meet and has met people. He cannot even get it through to the Minister of State that this must be tweaked and you cannot have overkill. That is what they tell me. I asked the people who contacted me to go and talk to the former Deputy, John, an iar-Aire Stáit freisin. That is what they came back to me with.

This is a cobbled-together three-party Government with some Independents supporting it. It is stubborn and obstinate. The last thing I saw like this was with the former Minister, Shane Ross, with his road traffic Bill. He would not listen to anybody or any reason. There are two Irelands there. All of Ireland is affected by serious gambling. We understand that and it has to be dealt with but, as I said, we have a massive bloodstock industry in Tipperary and indeed in Kildare. It is in many parts of the country. We are proud of it in Tipperary. I have been talking to people in the industry there and they are concerned. There are wonderful trainers at Coolmore and many more, such as Mouse Morris. There are dozens of them and indeed smaller trainers as well. There is Brian Acheson. People put their life into this industry and create thousands of jobs and opportunities, and also some fun. Goodness knows we need fun in our life. We need a flutter every now and then. The Government has become a killjoy. I said it last week.

The people who work on and service the tracks and the suppliers who supply the food outlets, the sand, drainage, the fencing and everything else comprise a huge industry. You have to be careful. When you are trying to make an omelette, you have to break an egg and cannot do it without doing that, but you do not need a sledgehammer to crack a chestnut, which is what the Government is using here with this wide sweep. As far as the clubs are considered, and dúirt mé é sin an tseachtain seo caite, they are the lifeblood of so many communities, whether here in Ballymun or down in Caislean Nua Cumann Lúthchleas Gael or indeed Kilfeacle's split the bucket draw, St. Michael's in Tipperary town, Clonmel Town Football Club or Carrick Rovers. They are all over the place, up as far as Newport, County Tipperary, including Cashel King Cormacs GAA. They are everywhere. Almost all of them have a small fundraiser, whether it is split the bucket or the lotto.

Last Monday night, I was glad to get a WhatsApp message. Margaret and I have ten grandchildren. Two of the youngest, Cathal and Clodagh, won €100 in the Newcastle GAA lotto. I am sure their dad and mam put them into it. It is excitement from little things like that. Even for an adult, €100 is nice to win when you are supporting a club. It is always nice to have some hope of winning. They have to do that to keep going because, as the Minister of State knows, all the clubs I mentioned are continually looking for sports capital funding to assist them. Many have got great support but they always have to have matching funding to draw down the grants.

To run a club, God be good to the late Elsie Cullinan and many others like Elsie all over the country, who washed the jerseys. They took them in whatever state they came in and had them ready for the next match again. Those kind of volunteers are still there but there are not as many and they are not as frequent or as dedicated. There are many great volunteers but times have changed and evolved, with the washing now. It used to be handwashing at one time. They did not have the machines to bring the washing to get done. We cannot kill the spirit of the Irish and yet this Government is desperately trying to kill the spirit of the Gael. It is the spirit of the C.J. Kickhams from Mullinahone, which has a great club. It has a fundraising raffle too. The Government is putting limits on it, stopping it from advertising and God knows what.

Someone said this earlier. I do not know what the Government has against the Irish people who elected it. Many of the people in those clubs are involved in volunteerism and activity, from Irish dancing to karate or taekwondo, you name it. The same people who set up and run clubs are normally the same people who vote, because they are active in the community. They will vote and participate. They will be waiting for the Government. The grass is not very long on the GAA pitches and the Tipperary hurlers are unfortunately not much good at cutting it this year either, but we will come again. Beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach. They will be waiting for the Government around the corner. The Government is set against the Irish people. It will not kill the spirit of the Gael. It might get away with its legislation.

The sad part about it is that while the Opposition will say it will make changes, laws that are passed here are seldom, if ever, rescinded. In my time here, I have seen none rescinded. The Government should think about it and how much damage it is doing to the clubs and people's enthusiasm for being volunteers. Schools have to have lotteries to keep the schools funded. It is not only the clubs. Day-care centres, you name it, are all there. They all want the good of the people. They are of the people, by the people, for the people. The Government is against the people and not for the people. The Minister of State can shake his head all he likes. The people from Wexford who contact me will tell me the Minister of State will not even give them the dignity of a meeting to be lobbied. The NGOs can get in and meet members of Government and they write the text for them. I met another group, the game council of Ireland. It cannot get a meeting with a Minister of State, Deputy Browne's colleague, who does not live that far away from him, but NGOs can meet him morning, noon and night.

The way the Government is treating the people is very unfair. I say it should make haste slowly here and should think of the people because they are thinking of the Government.

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