David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will have to go to the Seanad for Private Members' business so I hope I will be able to get in to talk about Magnitsky but if not, perhaps I might be alerted when there is going to be a vote on it. Mr. Andrews, who is a former Minister of State, and Mr. Glasgow are very welcome. Mr. Andrews is continuing in the fine tradition of his father, David Andrews. I remember him coming to the Seanad when he was Minister for Foreign Affairs and reporting with absolute passion and moral outrage about the situation in East Timor. Some of that was clear in the delegation's report and what Mr. Andrews said today.

Unfortunately, human rights are blown off the agenda by the financial situation. I may have been wrong about saying that we might not get reported because when I turned around, I noticed a very professional looking young woman with a notepad and pencil. It may be just an interested person but if it is somebody from the press, she is very welcome and I hope we will be reported because that is our lifeblood. We are never on Oireachtas TV as far as I can see. I do not bother watching it anymore but I used to and we never appeared. It was always the finance committee.

I have asked this question of other representatives in other situations. It is morally appalling that people step up to the camera with pledges and then do not follow through on them. Could we have a list of the donor defaulters and then this committee could write to their embassies for an update? We cannot tell them they must give the money but we could ask for an update on their position regarding this because we are interested in the situation in Syria. That might encourage them a bit. It is not much but it is perhaps all we can do. I am not even sure if that is possible.

Mr. Andrews said that people enter this conflict as moderates and come out as radicals. That is completely understandable and would probably happen to me if I saw the kind of things Mr. Andrews described in his report such as mosques attacked by government forces when people were at prayer and a man with his dead child in his arms. This is shocking stuff. What will we be confronted with after the endgame? What kind of regime will take over? The Assad regime is appalling, as was that of Saddam Hussein. What came after was infinitely worse. Does Mr. Andrews have any views on that? Is there anything positive in the endgame? How can we help without further radicalising and interfering in internal affairs because we would all like to see a decent government replacing what is there. The awful prospect is that it might be even more oppressive but oppressive in a different way. That is why people are hesitant, perhaps foolishly, to intervene. My view is that they should have gone in with a big stick at the beginning and whacked it.