Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to come back to that. The representatives could have stopped at the first line where it finishes at the word “politics” and deleted the rest. There is absolutely no need for the rest to be there. It could be interpreted as a gagging order on the representative bodies so that they could not make a comment, irrespective of custom and practice to date. This legislation could change the customs and practices going forward and that is extremely worrying. No representative body and no soldier I have ever known has made a public comment on politics. Yet, there was no need to continue by adding the part on public comment on other issues and I am therefore really concerned that there is the potential to gag the representative bodies. When looking at that part of head 26, I think of the annual conference for next year. They could not have an annual conference, because they could find themselves in breach of that legislation. I want to leave it at that, but I am deeply concerned that consultation is not taking place and respect is not being shown.