David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for my absence during some of the meeting including the private discussions. I was occupied in the Seanad with the property legislation on which I had tabled amendments. I take it there is not an enormous degree of urgency about the matter before the committee. It is not as if there is a person who is still alive whose life we could save as was the case in respect of Raul Wallenberg. We must be aware, however, that in this case the family is being victimised in the most unconscionable and disgraceful fashion. I am not sure what the degree of urgency is but imagine a delay of a week or two in the committee in passing the motion may not be of great significance.

The language used in the first paragraph of the motion is not particularly diplomatic but the facts recited in the second paragraph may be true. They are in keeping with Russian practice not just under Mr. Putin who is somebody about whom considerable doubt exists, but also under the regime from which he sprang, the Soviet Union, and beyond to the practices of the Tsarist regime. It is not unthinkable that this should have happened. The motions calls for the publishing of names, the denial of visas to travel to Ireland and the freezing of assets. We should bring in such measures. I am delighted that the motion should extend to other countries but that is where we will have a difficulty. I doubt very much that any of these boyos have assets here or want to visit Ireland. I smiled inwardly when I heard that they might be leaping over themselves to get into our banks. They are welcome to as far as I am concerned since none of the Irish people got much good out of the blackguards. I do not think these people are likely to visit Ireland.

It is a very good suggestion of Deputy Eric Byrne's to delete the word "Russia" to extend the motion to all countries. It is very idealistic, however. I would love if Ireland was in the vanguard in having an ethical foreign policy as attempted by Mr. Robin Cook, before he was taken asunder, and I regret and deplore that it is not the case. However, if we are only going to trade with people who share our ethics and worldview, we will have a list of countries as long as our arms that we cannot trade with including China. I can supply quite a few names.

Doubts have been raised about America and its use of drones, little mechanised things used to pick people off without any fair trial. They do not even bother to arrest them. They just blast them, pop them. They hold a meeting every Tuesday to decide who and how many they will pop.

What will happen if Mr. Berlusconi gets back into power? Let us slap a CAB on him. That would be worthwhile, it could restore our balance of payments. This is a wonderfully idealistic motion. I am happy to have put my name to it and I support it but I do not think it will have huge effect for the reasons I have specified.

It is great if we are prepared to take a stand. Let us also hear about Tibet and the monks who every day of every week burn themselves to death because of the savagery inflicted upon them by the Chinese, about whom we will not hear a whisper because they are rotten with money now that they have turned capitalist. I am all in favour of it but I doubt if we will live up to it. It would give us a great wedge to go in anytime and get some of these people.

In concert with this, when we have any of these blighters over who are punishing our people and insisting on all kinds of measures against them, we should not waste the €70,000 of good wine on them. They should be taken down to Tuam or Galway or Athlone to a soup kitchen. Let them have a feed of soup and look the Irish people in the eye. That is what I would like to see.