Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The only explanation for Deputy O'Dea forgetting that he called a rival a brothel keeper is that it is a pretty commonplace charge for him to make.

I am amazed that the Taoiseach should seek to retain in Cabinet a man who wilfully committed perjury. If this happened in the neighbouring jurisdiction, a Minister would not last until the end of the day. Deputy O'Dea is – as he is fond of telling us – a barrister and an officer of the court and he knows well the implications of swearing a false affidavit. Members of this House have ended up in the criminal courts for matters less grave than swearing a false affidavit. Loyalty can be an admirable quality but the Taoiseach's loyalty to Deputy O'Dea in this instance undermines any claims that he will enforce decent standards in his Government.

Having listened to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, we can all now agree with former Senator de Búrca that she was right. The Green Party Ministers will dance to any and every Fianna Fáil tune. Is there anything that the two Green Ministers would not do to stay in office? The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources offered us a chronological description of what Deputy O'Dea said happened. Is the Green Party's new standard to parrot Deputy O'Dea's excuse? Where now are the high standards they called for so many times over the years?

I like the Green Party. I like its politics.

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