Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I was conscious of that. I will be quite brief because many things have been said and I am not going to repeat the points which have been made.

I welcome this debate, and congratulate Deputy Mathews on introducing the Bill and having a check on the current situation. The very last point made by Deputy Murphy was that these sittings are supposed to be about reform. I do not want to be in the Chamber for every Friday sitting because sometimes what is discussed does not affect what I am doing. However, the Chamber is almost empty and people will vote on Tuesday on something they have not listened to, debated, thought about or developed an opinion on. That is one of the crucial points regarding the Whip. One comes in and votes the way the Government tells one to vote. It raises the question of parliamentary democracy.

I am also an atheist. I am here by choice. I have a deep conscience. I am not saying anybody else does not; others do. We live in a society where lobby groups put major pressure on people regarding economic issues. At the time of the bank bailout, Timothy Geithner, the ECB and the troika all told the Irish people they had to take on the responsibility and bear it on their shoulders, and they would make sure they did so because nobody else would help them. That was true. Lobbying took place behind the scenes and pressure was put on the Government.

I hate the term "pro-life" because it is not pro-life. There are fundamentalist groups, such as Opus Dei and others, which put significant pressure on individuals in these political Chambers, and that has to be examined. There are Bills on lobbying, but the question of who is going after who in regard to their own agendas needs to be much clearer. In Europe lobbyists work 24-7. Water companies, oil companies and others put major pressure on the European Council to force agendas through, such as the privatisation of services, where they will make their next quick buck and how they can put pressure on, take control of and make money from public services.

We saw that happen with the TTIP legislation. People do not really understand it and there should be a debate on it. A Canadian one has also been developed. These are crucial issues. In the Canadian trade investment programme, it is said that once water comes from the ground it is fair game. Such companies then go to Europe and demand that companies be set up so they can be developed and privatised in the future. That is another issue in the Water Services Act which the Government did not take on. It did not address the significant concerns of the citizens of the State regarding the privatisation of our water. It would not even call a referendum on the issue or take the fact it was an issue on board.

These are issues where parliaments from national level to European and international level do not reflect the consciences of elected people. We were talking about recall. We have one of the most progressive electoral systems in the world, but the key thing is recall. I might stand before the people and say as one of my key planks that if elected I will not go into government with right-wing established parties. Once elected, however, I might say "They are offering me something and I might just take it". People should be able to recall me in those circumstances and say that I stood on a platform. Deputy Ruairí Quinn said he would not increase third level fees if elected and was on Merrion Street with a big cheque. He went into government and did exactly the opposite. The Taoiseach said the home is a man or woman's castle and that he would never bring in property taxes. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, said water charges could not be introduced as every house would have to be metered, which was an impossibility. Those were lies. People go out and say one thing before coming to this Chamber and doing another under the protection of this building. The only time they go back out again is when the next general or local election comes up and they get feedback from the people.

Conscience is broader than just social conscience. I had a difficulty where some Deputies who broke with Fine Gael voted in austerity cuts against respite grants and the other measures that were brought in. It should take a bigger band. If one is elected, one should support the mandate on which one is elected, but in certain areas one may feel very strongly on an issue. In Australia, one can write down why one is opposed to a measure.

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