Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

-----on subjects on which they do not bother to inform themselves. They do not have to take any responsibility. If one does have to take responsibility for something it has to be done patiently and with great care.

Deputy Colreavy knows that I cannot stop anybody buying land from anybody else in Ireland. My fellow county man attempted to collectivise the land in the eighteenth century. He did not quite succeed. He ended up giving the seal of approval to peasant proprietorship and we have lived with the implications of that ever since and there are many people in the country who would say that was a great step forward. To underline the point, if anybody wants to go to Deputy Colreavy’s part of the country or any part of the country to buy options on land I cannot do anything about it. They have to make their own decisions according to their own judgment and their own commercial opportunity. There would be uproar if I sought to prevent people selling them land and doing business.

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