Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a fundamental, basic principle that people are allowed to associate with whom they like. That is the first point. That is being denied here for the first time.

I have never seen this before, since I became a Member of Dáil Éireann. There has been a bit of a herd-like attitude to this debate among the Opposition and some commentators. People have not looked at the fundamental principles underpinning all of this. In the next six weeks alone, 90 priority questions will be asked here. Sinn Féin will have 47 of them, the Labour Party 12, the Social Democrats 11 and there will be zero for backbenchers on the Government side.

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