Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

In defending himself on this, the Taoiseach told The Irish Times that he wanted to focus on endorsing the credibility and integrity of Irish companies doing business. Is it not the case that he was concentrating exclusively on private profits of corporations rather than human rights?

When my Socialist Party colleague, Paul Murphy MEP, wrote to the Taoiseach to complain about this, the Taoiseach sent back a pro forma letter that he sent to other organisations, which is fine. However, he could not resist adding, in his own handwriting, a petty, coded put down: "Perhaps you should travel out there and speak to the Irish community - women and men - about their experience of doing business and employing people both in Ireland and the Gulf states. It might be of interest to you." In other words, the MEP should keep his mouth shut about human rights because there is business to be done.

Will the Taoiseach now take a stand? Will he make a public statement that will make world headlines and for the very best of reasons, because it will speak to the concern and the best instincts of hundreds of millions of soccer fans all over the world? Will he demand that FIFA, the international soccer authority, put the following ultimatum to the Qatari regime, that it has one month to get its house in order as far as workers' rights and human rights are concerned, and that it accept hundreds of workers' rights monitors and human rights monitors on the construction sites on the ground and in the camps where workers are being accommodated to see a transformation from this regime of slavery? Will the Taoiseach do that? Will he make such a call on FIFA, or otherwise call for the football World Cup to be moved unceremoniously out of this country with its dreadful regime of exploitation?

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