Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I believe Deputy Murphy used that privilege responsibly. Judging from the Taoiseach's remarks, he does not. He seems to be siding with Mr. O'Brien on that argument. I did not ask the Taoiseach about the recalling of the Dáil. I asked him why he remained silent on fundamental principles that go to the heart of a functioning parliamentary democracy, namely, the right of media to report on utterances made in this House, the right of Dáil Deputies to raise issues of legitimate public interest without being pilloried and called a liar and a thief. It is extremely sad that the Taoiseach could not at that time, as the leader of the country, come out publicly and say what was fundamentally correct and proper. For example, in the last few days, we have been treated to the Taoiseach's views on subjects as diverse as Sepp Blatter and bottle banks. With the greatest of respect, people are getting very fed up of this shallow, superficial politics.

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