Dáil debates
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Suspension of Member
2:30 pm
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I move: "That Deputy Morgan be suspended from the service of the Dáil". Is this motion opposed?
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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He has no permission from the people to do that.
Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is telling lies.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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What he is doing here is legalising corruption and that is unacceptable.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is the motion opposed? No. The Deputy must now leave the House.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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That is not acceptable to me.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy must leave the House.
Tom Sheahan (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Call in the reinforcements.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy must leave the House.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I am asking the Ceann Comhairle to facilitate the Taoiseach in presenting that apology now.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy has been asked to leave the House. He has been named, the motion was not opposed-----
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I am asking the Ceann Comhairle-----
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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-----and he must leave the House, failing which I will have to suspend the House.
Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is playing to the Gallery.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I will have to suspend the House if the Deputy is not prepared to leave. I will suspend the House if he does not leave.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Morgan, you are still in the House. It is out of my hands now. The House has made a decision that you must remove yourself from the House and I regret to have to ask you to do so. I have to proceed with the business of the day.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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There is legislation before this House this afternoon-----
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I cannot go into that.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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-----which seeks to reward and legalise corruption.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I will have to suspend the House again, Deputy Morgan. I do not want to have to suspend the House.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I am not going to leave the House.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Morgan will not leave the House. Then I must suspend the House further.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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May I raise a point of order?
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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There is a separate solution. I will withdraw from the House when I get the-----
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Members are gathered here today-----
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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-----apology from the Taoiseach that I believe the Irish people are owed from him.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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-----to do a considerable amount of business and I ask you to remove yourself from the House.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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When I get that I will happily withdraw-----
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The House has made a decision that you should leave the House.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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-----but I am staying here until I get that apology.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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On a point of order-----
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I call Deputy Kenny.
Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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This country will have to borrow approximately €22 billion this year. This amounts to approximately €4 million per 16-hour waking day. This 15 minutes has cost us €1 million.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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People's backs are to the wall. They are losing their jobs and everything they have-----
Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Morgan is turning the House into a circus and yet we have serious business.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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-----and there is no serious business before this House to solve that problem.
Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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There is serious business.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I have respect for the Irish people. That is where we need to show some respect.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Gilmore, on a point of order.
Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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There are many people at home watching the proceedings of this House this afternoon and they are doing so because they are hurting. They are hurting due to people losing jobs, businesses going to the wall and all of the bad news that is being inflicted upon them as a result of all we have seen.
This House has been closed down for long enough this summer and it is about time that we got on with the business we were elected and sent here to do. There is a time and place for parliamentary stunts. We want to get on with the business that we are here to do.
We are about to embark on a debate on what is probably the most serious economic measure ever brought before this House since independence and we should get on with it. We will disagree with it but attempts to disrupt the holding of this sitting for which we have been waiting since July last should be ceased. We should get on with the business.
Let us have the arguments during the course of the debate. We will argue with it. I have my point of view. The Labour Party has its point of view. The members of my party want to have the opportunity of expressing that point of view. They want to communicate to this House the many things that they have been hearing over the past number of weeks from people all over this country. The people have sent us here to express that and we should waste no more time and get on with the business of the House.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Perhaps Deputy Ó Caoláin can be of help.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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First, let me make it patently clear that we in Sinn Féin hold very strong views in opposition to the NAMA proposals which have been presented and are to be debated today.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please allow Deputy Ó Caoláin to finish.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Furthermore, it is also important to note that what is proposed will actually present a facilitation for the passage of the NAMA legislation, despite whatever stoic efforts the Opposition makes. It is very important that the Opposition exercises itself to its full potential to demonstrate the real vexation and anger of the wider public in relation to these proposals. Sitting here, willy-nilly, in facilitation of its presentation and passage in this House simply does not achieve that.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can the Deputy assist me with Deputy Morgan?
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Deputy Morgan has taken a particular position, demanding that the Taoiseach respond to his continual claims that there were no warnings in relation to the property bubble.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can this not be done during the course of the debate?
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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There were warnings aplenty and the Taoiseach can break this logjam if he addresses that fact and withdraws-----
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I will have to suspend the House then. Is Deputy Morgan prepared to leave the House?
Seán Ardagh
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Let us have democracy.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Is Deputy Morgan prepared to leave the House? I will have to suspend the House again.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I have to ask the Deputy to leave the House. Will he please leave the House?
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The House is suspended for a further five minutes to enable Deputy Morgan to withdraw.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Morgan, for the last time I must ask you to leave the House so we can proceed with the business of the House.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy has been suspended from the House so he is not entitled to make any statement. The House itself has made a decision and there is little I can do.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Following discussions with my party colleagues and in the interest of fairness to all, we have decided I will withdraw from the House.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.
James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The House has decided the Deputy will withdraw.
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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However, I assure the House I will continue to oppose this legislation at every opportunity.
John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Deputy can do that in the course of the legislation. He must now leave.
Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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He has subverted democracy long enough.