Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

What our Constitution requires is that Ireland be a democratic republic. It is not really for a party that has the responsibility of being in power to roll out a Government identity system. Will there be people or places in our republic that will not meet the criteria relating to this system?

The other matter to which I wish to refer is the provision of marketing pitch specialist services. This would all be understandable in the context of party election campaigns where the aim is to get this or that party into office, either as part of a coalition or on its own. That is what politics is about. However, it is completely different to take the institutions of the State and seek to give them an identity system. What is the ethical framework behind the strategic communications unit and the ads that Deputy Howlin showed?

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