Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the commitment of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar. I disagree with him on economic matters but, because of his capacity for straight talking and honesty, I was proud of him when he made specific comments outflanking the Labour Party in his criticism of the attack on its workers by Aer Lingus.

I entirely agree with his criticism.

Fine Gael and Labour came to power on the promise of a democratic revolution. Many took that to mean a commitment to reform the way of doing politics and the political structure, but that has not been the case. It has been a case of hubris. The democratic revolution was simply about securing power based on the belief that power in itself was sufficient. We are now seeing the effects of that hubris - the effect of an excess of arrogance from which the Government suffers.

Many serious issues need to be addressed in this country. I refer to the attack on workers to which the Minister for Transport, Deputy Varadkar, referred, and conditions and pay. Instead, we are becoming involved in saga after saga with respect to the difficulties in this country. We have spent the past four weeks in this House discussing the successes of Government and the saga under discussion has gone on and on. We have wasted week after week, yet the Government continues to show poor judgment and indulge in self-congratulation in respect of the programme for Government. We have reached the point at which we will not accept any more arrogant and aggressive aloofness. It is time for humility. I urge the Minister to bear that in mind in contemplating Mr. Wilson and his family and Sergeant McCabe and his family. We must bear in mind their conditions at work and the pressures that have been piled on them by this House. They are isolated in their place of employment. Some days they are supervised and other days they are not. They feel unwanted by the State. As the administrative head of justice in this country, the Minister should make a further effort to acknowledge their dedication, commitment and above all their actions on behalf of their community, this country and the Dáil.

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