David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I cannot believe the unspeakable dishonesty of this speech. He is going to look at the Presidency and reduce the number of Members of the Oireachtas required to nominate a Presidential candidate to 14. Will he listen to the voice of the people, this wonderful democrat, this absolute democrat who would not recognise democracy if it came up and puked in his face? Despite all the manoeuvring, I got something through the Constitutional Convention which was not even allowed to discuss Seanad Éireann. I got a provision through relating to the Presidency to give the people of Ireland a greater say. That was democracy, with 97% of the people at the convention voting for it. Let us hear a titter out of Taoiseach Enda Kenny about that.

I understand that I am nearly at my limit so I will end by saying that I reiterate my challenge to the Taoiseach to come into this House, or even better, on television or radio, and debate this. I will debate it with him and will peel the layers of dishonesty and populism away from him and show the Irish people what is really being done to them so they will not be fooled another time, until they know what way to vote. They will vote against this Bill, which is a fraud perpetrated on the Irish people as gross as the fraud perpetrated by Wood's ha'pence in the 18th century and which was defeated by the oratory and writing of the great Jonathan Swift. That is where power lies sometimes - in the hands of the weak, in the hands of the people who are being battered and who are having democracy torn from them. If we let the people know what is happening, we can stymie this miserable little act of political vandalism.