Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This motion is a cynical, clumsy attempt to gain political capital from a tragic incident. Thankfully, the Irish people are beginning to see Sinn Féin for what it really is, namely, a party linked to criminality that has repeatedly sought to undermine our State and institutions and one that applauded those who took the life of one of our gardaí. It is no secret that officials in the Department of Justice are filled with dread at the prospect of a Sinn Féin Minister for Justice but perhaps members of the Sinn Féin Front Bench could bring their personal experience to bear in that Department. Deputies Carthy and Doherty could advise gardaí on how to deal with abusive behaviour, with both having being convicted of offences arising from such abusive behaviour towards our gardaí on O'Connell Street. Deputy Aonghus Ó Snodaigh could advise on how to protect Government Buildings from a breach of security as he has personal experience of partaking in such a breach, forcing a lone member of An Garda Síochána to defend himself and seek reinforcements.

Any examination of Sinn Féin's past, always reveals some murky and sordid details, none more so than the details of the appalling treatment of rape victim Máiría Cahill. In her book Rough Beast: My Story and the Reality of Sinn Féin, Ms Cahill describes how the IRA used Sinn Féin's offices to question her about sexual abuse. Reading her book, we hear her words ringing out loud and clear. She wrote: "It is very strange to be sitting in the office of the most powerful men in Ireland and to be asked to give your opinion on whether a man should live or die." Despite repeated questioning, the leader of Sinn Féin has always refused to comment on the use of her party's offices to question a deeply vulnerable victim of rape. That is the hallmark of Sinn Féin, a party living a dual existence that has no credibility whatsoever-----

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