Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Let us consider the statistics down through the years. There was approximately 1,600 places in the world used to decide the temperatures. Someone had a good idea and decided to pull the figures from some of the coldest places. Now, we are down to a total of approximately 700 places from which we take our figures.

If we were to put a blanket over this country for the rest of my life, it would make damn all difference compared to what the likes of China do in an hour. As a nation we have to decide where we are going. I have looked at what this is costing us as a country. Ireland is on its knees financially. I have looked at where we are building roads in the context of all the various rules and regulations that have been put on us. If we keep swallowing this, we will never come out of where we are. If we keep taking the type of rules and regulations that have been imposed on us, we will never come out of where we are either. Some of the lunacy that is coming from foreign lands is baffling. We have these people telling us what to do.

There are reasons in the line of all of this. Down through the years we have always had rain. We had good years and bad years. I gather that in the 1900s the River Thames froze. Was that global cooling? What was it? I think Ireland as a nation needs to get real. We know the figures were doctored in England last year or the year before. They had to come out and admit it. We need to ensure that we go back strategically in respect of where we are taking these figures from. We should be accurate in what we are doing. We should not rush into things or make hasty decisions. Many of the problems we have are caused by more people living in a country and by pouring more concrete and building more houses. What do we do? We have to continue. We have to ensure that people live and survive in the countryside or in different towns.

Let us consider the old maps. At one time we decided we would take the floodplains out of the maps. Now, we have gone back to them again, which is a good thing. If we look at the old floodplains throughout the country we can get a good idea of the places prone to flooding and so on.

I will put it simply. There are reasons and answers for much of the stuff that goes on. A little common sense should come into it. People talk about global warming and flooding in different parts of the country. There are solutions to all of that and let us stand for a moment and ask what they are. To boost tourism we decided that we would raise the level of the Shannon by 1 m. There will be consequences in that the river will flood. That is common sense. People try to deny one thing and cover over these things. This is what is happening. This is reality. If we go back and look at where we were and what we have done in the line of rising levels and so on, it would answer many of our problems.

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