Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Is it not the case that, true to form, the Taoiseach sold his country out when he took my colleague, Deputy Cooper-Flynn, back into the Fianna Fáil fold, with allegations against her outstanding, to shore up his own political ambitions? Is it not the case that, true to form, in doing so, he put Fianna Fáil's private, party political interest ahead of the national interest, which is the public interest? Is it not true that, far from being an isolated incident, this is a repeating pattern, which is the political leitmotif of the Government?

On 8 October 1997 the Taoiseach reiterated in the House his commitment to integrity and also to justice in public life. He cited the need to "forgo short-term political advantage". He stated, "I am working to overcome the legacy of the past in a way that properly discriminates between the good and the bad so that we can have a public life in which we are proud and in which there can be trust." He lamented:

Due process has gone out the window. Is that the way we are supposed to run our democracy? Is that the way other countries run theirs?

Today I want the Taoiseach to stand by his lamentation, do his duty and allow full due process and, in doing so, stand by democracy and the citizens of this Republic. His Government, far from lamenting the death of the parliamentary process, has absolutely murdered it. To the Taoiseach, talk is cheap. He has not worked to discriminate between good and bad so "we can have a public life in which we are proud and in which there can be trust".

The Taoiseach seems not just privately to have tolerated law-breaking, aberrant and gross misbehaviour in his party, he has actively and publicly rewarded it in some cases, not just once but over and over, so much so that explanatory statements by him and members of his party are now "business as usual" for the House.

The Taoiseach, the discriminator between good and bad, appointed former Deputy Ray Burke not just to the Cabinet but to the third highest office in the land, despite the fact that he knew Mr. Burke had received money in dubious circumstances and, subsequently, that he had misled the Dáil and, therefore, the people. There was then the Sheedy affair. After that, the Taoiseach allowed Deputy Foley to remain on the DIRT inquiry, despite his having money in illegal Ansbacher offshore accounts. Then came the Lindzon passport affair and the interest-free loan to Fianna Fáil, while the Taoiseach, along with the former Minister, Pádraig Flynn, was treasurer of that party. Then there were the events involving the former Minister of State, Deputy Ned O'Keeffe. There was also the Taoiseach's habitual signing of blank cheques drawn on the publicly funded leader's account when Mr. Haughey held office.

It did not stop there. The discriminating Taoiseach and restorer of public trust proceeded to appoint former Deputy Liam Lawlor to the Committee on Members' Interests. How ironic. After that, the Taoiseach welcomed back Deputy Cooper-Flynn into his party, even though serious allegations regarding her were still unresolved. That was followed by the Deputy Michael Collins tax affair.

Hot off the presses today is the news that the Taoiseach appears to have personally sanctioned €750,000 for a marine leisure centre in County Kerry, despite warnings from the Department that doing so could open it up to future legal action. This centre was demolished last month because it breached the planning laws. However, according to the Taoiseach's position on ethics, in respect of which he has stated, "Those of us who are in here try to stay here", that €750,000 was small change and money well spent on, after all, buying the support of Deputy Healy-Rae, whose pet project this was.

In light of this litany of offensive actions, I put to the Taoiseach his own two questions. Is this the way we are supposed to run our democracy? Is that the way other countries run theirs? This appears to be the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats way of running this democracy. I suggest that not many modern democracies are run like it. This is a country which currently holds the Presidency of one of the most powerful social, economic and political blocs in the world, namely, the European Union.

I remind the Taoiseach that Governments are elected to govern, not just to appease. They are elected to do what is right, not just what is popular. They are elected to put the country, not the party first. Governments are elected to practise, demand and uphold probity, dignity, ethics and accountability in public life. I state this in the name of the people of the country because, in the end, this is not just about Government and Opposition; it is about securing public propriety, ethics and justice for the Irish people.

This is not a game. We are not children playing king of the castle, although at times the people could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. What happens in this House or what does not happen here has dire consequences on the streets and in people's homes. Tonight there will be 300 to 400 people sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin. There are old and sick people queuing up at accident and emergency departments where their wait turns from hours to days. It is our politics and their lives. These people listen to what happens in this House and they hear words, noise, jabbering and meaningless nit-picking over technicalities.

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