Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Would the Tánaiste agree that in current circumstances it is desirable for the Government to speak with one voice? Can she explain the differences, which have emerged between Ministers and between the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, and the Taoiseach? Does she understand why the Taoiseach keeps saying that exclusion of the republican movement brought us 30 years of murder and mayhem when in fact precisely the opposite has happened? It is the 30 years of mayhem that brought us exclusion. Exclusion did not produce the violence. Against the background of the most extraordinary events in recent days, apparent international money laundering, the murder of Robert McCartney, the attempted purchase of a bank in Bulgaria and so many other matters, is it not important for this House to seek, in as far as we can, to best protect our democracy?

In the matter of public money being made available for the practice of politics and execution of parliamentary duties, does the Tánaiste agree that we should consider changing the criteria necessary for a qualifying party, applied equally across the board to all of us in terms of public funds being made available and that the most basic prerequisite that we should require of all democratic parties, which want to access public money, ought to be fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State? If a party were not prepared to insert in its constitution a requirement that it subscribes to the institutions of the State that party would exclude itself as a qualifying party eligible for public money to carry on its political affairs.

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