Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I believe that 100% because I know the Minister of State is an honourable man. I appreciate that he is a respectable man. All I am saying is that he might not be able to be as forthright, now that he is a Minister of State, as he would be if he were not a Minister of State. I would not dare to question his integrity as a politician. I would not do so in a million years.

I will come back to why we are having this debate in an empty Chamber. The Chamber is empty because the people who will vote with the Government know they are wrong. They know they are betraying the electorate. They know they have been dishonest with the people they asked to vote for them. I really believe that tonight, above all nights, is a special night in this House. The Labour Party and Fine Gael are hiding. The people who made all these promises are hiding. They condemned Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the Independents. They said they would do it right if they were given a chance. My God, they are making a fair mess of it. They were given a golden chance. They needed to be honest, but they were not.

I would like to make a point that I have made previously in this Chamber. I have seen a Sunday newspaper referring to the Minister for Social Protection as "Wonder Woman". I know what Wonder Woman has presided over. I know where the leaks from the Cabinet table are coming from because there is no such thing as a free supper. There is no such thing as free publicity for those who are given titles like "Wonder Woman". This Government will be remembered for a long time. I hope it will also be remembered that a Sunday newspaper decided, in the same week as a budget attacking vulnerable people was announced, that it was a good idea to christen the Minister for Social Protection with the title of "Wonder Woman". It will be remembered for a long time. Somebody will remember it. If people forget it, I will remind them if I am still here. If I am not here, I will remind them from wherever I will be.

I wish to speak about the junior doctors issue. It amazes me that people can be so selective about the European directives they adopt and those they do not. Mysteriously, our Government is able to ignore the European working time directive, which dictates the number of hours people can work. It does not act in the same way regarding other issues, such as those relating to farming and other aspects of life in Ireland. If Europe tells us to jump two feet, our Government will decide to jump five feet. Why is the Government selective in its adoption of European policy? It is crazy.

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