Results 621-640 of 18,726 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: I have no practical way of stopping that sort of maternity holiday. I have been criticised for using the expression "citizenship tourism"——

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: ——but that is precisely what we are faced with. The point is that an unintended effect of the wonderful achievement of the Good Friday Agreement, in advancing the peace process on this island, is the opportunity for this sort of abuse. The Government owes a duty to the people of this island to put measures in place to stop the abuse. That is what this referendum is all about. Why does it...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: The Attorney General's strong advice, which I accept, is that any law which sought to deprive a person born in Ireland of the entitlement of citizenship, or even to postpone the right of such a person to exercise that entitlement, would be shot down by the Supreme Court as being inconsistent with Article 2. There is no alternative to addressing this issue at constitutional level. That being...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: My message to those who favour discrimination against people, based on skin colour or other ethnic characteristics is as follows: if you are racist vote "no" in this referendum, because there is nothing racist about this proposal.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: If the Deputies would only listen instead of screaming abuse at me, they would realise that I never referred to any Member of this House——

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: The humbug and cant I am hearing today really shocks me.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: I see no reason this matter should be referred to an all-party committee.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: People who are avowedly anti-racist——

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: I propose to repeat what I said.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, with the greatest respect, I will repeat what I said——

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: ——-and I think everyone will see that it does not refer to anybody in this House.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: What I said was that people who are avowedly anti-racist have criticised the conjunction of this referendum alongside the local government and European Parliament elections as likely to bring out the racist in the electorate. I regard such arguments as unnecessarily scaremongering and well wide of the mark. They are arguments against ever putting this issue or any issue related to citizenship...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: Consider the practical options open to the Government — run it as an issue on its own——

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: Will the Deputy listen for God's sake?

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy is a unique combination of nastiness and unruliness.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: Consider the practical options open to the Government.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: The options are to run this as an issue on its own, to run it with an as yet uncertain presidential election later this year or to put it to the people while they are already going to the polls on the local and European elections. To the extent that racism is likely to feature at all in a referendum campaign, the first of these options is in fact the most likely to engender that sort of heat...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: ——there is the potential to skew the debate in a most unfair fashion.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: I would ask the Deputy to be presidential and allow me to speak.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

Michael McDowell: No.