Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have no masters, only the man above, thank God. I speak with him every day and he supports and sustains me, thank God. I have no masters in the political hierarchy telling me to do this or that.

Mention has been made of the Ministers of State, Deputies Halligan and Finian McGrath. They are like spinning tops now because they have spun so much from the policies they stood for when I knew them. When the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, was on this side of the House he was very angry about these matters. I remember being at the American ambassador's residence for lunch one day when we were not long here and he spoke about Nicaragua and the other places where the Americans should not have been. It is amazing how one loses one's conscience when one joins the ranks of the Ministers of State. It is lost completely or sold, one or the other. That is what happened.

This matter is unpalatable. There are no guidelines and the costs, which have been mentioned, are put at up to €1.5 billion per year. The money could be spent well in upgrading our barracks and equipment, as well as soldiers' pay. When we have a flood, snow or any kind of emergency, they are the first line of defence. They are the first line of defence to support An Garda Síochána when there is trouble as well. We could do it much better. The Government has been caught with its pants down on this as it did not expect resistance at the Business Committee and here in the Dáil. With its allies in Fianna Fáil-----

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