Dáil debates
Thursday, 20 November 2014
An Bille um an gCeathrú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Uimh. 3) 2014: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) [Comhaltaí Príobháideacha] - Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution (No. 3) Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members]
10:05 am
Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
The commitment to public ownership of water services was enshrined in legislation in 2007 and reaffirmed in the legislation introduced last year. Irish Water will remain in public ownership. I will not waste my breath discussing whether it will be privatised because we all know that will never happen. Even the Opposition knows it. Therefore, let us stop wasting time.
The Government lives under the rule of law, not one of kangaroo courts and grandstanding theatrics. It upholds the rule of law, unlike Deputy Paul Murphy and his cohorts, yet we sit here debating a motion tabled by the Sinn Féin Party which violates parliamentary rules one day and invokes them the next. It is used to this and believes it can waste our time with this item of business.
This is another deflection from Sinn Féin's own unsettling issues, just like Deputy Mary Lou McDonald's theatrics in this Chamber last week which deflected attention from the sexual abuse of Maíria Cahill. I find Deputy McDonald's àla carteapproach to the rules of this House deeply troubling. I can only speculate what this might mean for the country were she, or Sinn Féin, ever to get near power. The approach of Sinn Féin to this House is not surprising. Today's business is obviously a diversionary tactic, costing the taxpayer money, and I will not waste another minute discussing the Bill. Irish Water will remain in public ownership.
Kate Hunt
Posted on 25 Nov 2014 1:26 pm (Report this comment)
I consider your presence in the Dail far more wasteful of the taxpayers' largesse. A presence gained by conning a vulnerable electorate, so much so, receipt of your pay is extortion.
MaryLou McDonald has mandate to be there. She also is well within her rights to challenge the FG bias, censorship and derailment of motions through their Chair Sean Barrett. He had no right to challenge MaryLou when it was the Tanaiste's stonewalling which caused the problem. The Leader MUST answer questions, not waffle, not stonewall, certainly not mislead or lie. The precarious notion that the CC in Dail Eireann is impartial is now ridiculous. Mikes are muted, Roisin Shortall, Mick Wallace and others have experienced extreme resistance in some very relevant facts being disclosed. The Shattergate scandal and others were deflected, ignored and certainly Diversionary Tactics used then.
I suggest you are attempting reverse psychology, your blundering, childish attacks on SF and the opposition, your bad mouthing of IW protesters, your insistence people will accept this, all show you are from an outdated machine called Dictatorship. You show such contempt for the masses protesting, for the electorate supporting opposition, that your arrogance blinds you to any democracy.
You have some cheek to ridicule people who want justice and democracy. IW is dead in the water, by association now FG too, the sooner the better FG realises this and leaves.