Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I dtosach báire, mar gurb é seo an chéad deis atá agam, ba mhaith liom nóiméad a thógáil chun cuimhneamh ar bheirt dár mórfhilí a chailleamar le cúpla lá anuas – Brendan Kennelly agus Máire Mhac an tSaoi. Mar a tharlaíonn go minic, is iad focail na bhfilí féin is fearr chun ómós a mharcáil. Mar sin, i bhfocail Mháire Mhac an tSaoi ina dán “Finit”:

Ag éalú i ndearúd le hiompú ráithe

Gur dabht arbh ann duit riamh, ná dod leithéidse...

Ach go mbeidh poirt anois ná cloisfead choíche

Gan tú bheith os mo chomhair arís sa chúinne

Ag feitheamh, ceol ar láimh leat, roimh an rince

Is diamhaireacht na hoíche amuigh id shúile.

Guím suaimhneas síoraí orthu beirt.

I agree with a great deal of what Deputy Gannon has just laid in front of us. The second law of thermodynamics might not be an obvious jumping-off point for statements such as this but I am worried about the future of the European Union because, as Deputy Gannon and Deputy Duncan Smith said, the European Union is a conscious and continuous act of creation we have all entered into as European citizens. We have done that in the memory and the consciousness of the conflicts that gave rise to the European Union. It is the great peace project of our time. However, unless we stand by those values, and as Deputy Gannon said, we do so not just on the macro level but on that micro level between communities and minorities, then we are not living true to the values that hold the European Union together. We cannot take it as a given that things do stay together, because entropy increases.

3 o’clock

Things will tend to fall apart unless we participate actively in the conscious act of creation and live out those values. We have heard a clear message from the Polish Government in terms of its reaction to the EU's response to the disciplinary chamber of the Polish Supreme Court. We know that the EU is critical in terms of its annual rule of law report and it was predictable that Hungary would row in behind the Polish Government in this regard. However, we have also heard from the Polish people, as Deputy Gannon said, both here in Ireland and in Poland. It is important that Ireland lends its voice to the protests of the Polish people who see the value of the EU and I hope the Minister of State takes that message to the EU.

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