Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this very important subject and would like to put an interesting story on the record of the Dáil. On 25 December 1988 - the morning of Christmas Day - my mother gave me the gift of a book. I opened the book and asked her who it was by. She told me to read it and that we would talk about it that evening. The book was The Art of the Dealby Donald J. Trump. We had a discussion on the book that night and she said "you're young". This man was 40 at the time. She told me to watch him because he would be an interesting man and could finish up running the world. She did not say "ruling the world". She said "running the world". She never mentioned politics but she had a bit of foresight in that she was able to see that he was a man of potential who was going places.

We must accept and respect the democratic right of any person to put themselves forward for election. That has happened and he is the US President. One can like or dislike him but we, as Irish politicians, have a job to do.

There are many Irish people, such as my own family, aunts and uncles, who were glad to go to America in the 1950s and 1960s and get gainful work. We appreciate the fact that they were able to work and live in America, as were all of our friends and cousins. Mr. Trump is their President now. Whether we like it or not, that is the situation.

I become very upset when I see sectors and religions being picked out and victimised. For instance, I am very personal good friends with many Muslims who came to my county. They are most welcome. Their religion and faith is their own business in my opinion. Everybody's religion, whatever it is, should be respected and nobody should be condemned or castigated for what their belief is. Obviously, every group of people will have bad people amongst them. That is the way of the world. What I see in Mr. Trump's policies is that he seems to be attacking certain groups that he should not be picking out in that way. It can be seen as populist. We have to be mature enough to work on it with him at the same time.

I heard people standing up in this House, as is their right to do, to say that the Taoiseach should not go to America for St. Patrick's Day. That is nonsense. Our Taoiseach and taoisigh in the past have always had the tradition of going over and being welcomed in the White House and making the connections. I myself had the opportunity on two occasions as mayor of our county in Kerry to go over and represent Kerry County Council. I met a lot of people. For instance, I remember meeting the late Mr. Ted Kennedy and him taking me into his office. I remember him carrying a number plate from Kerry with "Ted Kennedy - KY - 1" written on it. He put it up inside in his office. These sorts of things have to be done. That is the art of politics. One need not like or love somebody. One can actually dislike somebody. At the same time, politically, one has to get on with it. It would be completely disloyal to the Irish-Americans that live across all states. We would be doing them a sever injustice if we were to snub the tradition of our Taoiseach going to America on St. Patrick's week.

While I hear other people criticising politicians for travelling around the world during St. Patrick's week and saying that it is a waste of money, I have to be honest and say the complete opposite. I have experience of it myself on a small scale from being mayor of our county and being sent out to meet all of the different people in meetings set up by the local authority. I believe that is an investment. It is like spreading fertiliser. Grass does not grow unless fertiliser is spread to make it grow. It is the same thing with politicians travelling the world making connections, meeting people and meeting business people. That is a job of work. I hear people being critical about a Ceann Comhairle, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle or Ministers going on foreign travel, but I see it as the spreading of the fertiliser to make the grass grow. They are sent out to be respectable and to meet other politicians and business people. It is a very important job of work.

Last week, I was in Brussels. I am a very bad person for travelling because I do not like it. However, I went because it was important to go as Chairman of the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs. I was very glad that I was accompanied by great Senators and Deputies who worked very diligently over a two-day period. We had something like 14 meetings in two days. We met an awful lot of people. We discussed solutions to the Brexit issue. We did not give our time to discussing the problems; we looked at solutions. I am glad that we are having this debate about President Trump's policies, because it involves the same thing. His policies are throwing up difficulties and problems for us and for people all over the world. However, it is our job to get on with it and to try to use our considerable influence in America.

Presidents of America have always had an eye on the ball of the Irish vote and the Irish-Americans. Presidents want their support and want to be popular with Irish governments because of the simple fact that Ireland has a respectable name all over the world. Our workers who left Ireland, whether in the 1950s, 1980s or 1990s, were great people. They went to Australia, England and America. They broke their backs working. They were dependable, reliable and determined to get on in life, which is what they did. That is why we have to keep up our links. We have to keep going to America and keep sending Ministers there. We have to try to keep up a good and healthy relationship and not condemn for the sake of condemning.

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