Results 801-820 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: Senator Jim Walsh raised the matter of the Judiciary on which Senators Norris and O'Toole and I tabled a motion some time ago. I refer to political appointments to the Judiciary and seek a debate on ending political appointments thereto.

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: For so long, one party has put its own people in power and then another party has appointed its people to the Supreme Court.

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: Occasionally a dummy is appointed to fool people. I wish to finish without interruption. In the Bar Library people predict the outcome of Supreme Court decisions on the basis of party affiliation.

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: The Judiciary is not independent.

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: It is not independently appointed.

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: That is exactly the subject on which I request a debate.

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: What about the wigs?

Seanad: Educational Services: Motion. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: I second the motion and I thank Senator O'Toole for tabling it. In support of what he said, there is plenty of precedent for the Government accepting motions encompassing amendments and passing them without of vote. I see nothing to quarrel with in what the Government has to say and given the aspirational nature of our motion, the Government should not have any problem with it. It would be...

Seanad: Educational Services: Motion. (15 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: ——when they do not deliver on the performance which they have promised.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: Senator Ulick Burke's suggestion that we should all stand for re-election and that those who oppose us should sign an agreement that they will not take the seat is utterly splendid.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: We should pass that by acclamation immediately. On a more serious point, while it is difficult to criticise such a good parliamentarian, Senator Higgins ought to resign.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: That is preferable to an empty seat. It is wrong that anybody should dictate to whom he or she bequeaths a seat in this House, however worthy the recipient.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: It is wrong for Senator Higgins to say that he will vacate his seat if the emigrants take his place. This was a device used in the European elections by Senator Higgins to appeal for the votes of constituents whose relatives had emigrated. His tactic worked extremely well but, in terms of the status of this House, it is ridiculous for anybody to agree to vacate a seat on the condition that it...

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: We will be giving seats to our sons, daughters, brothers and sisters if that becomes the case.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: It would be preferable for a Member of the Government to have the seat than for nobody to occupy it.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: I wish to make a further brief remark.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: I am concluding on a request I should have made yesterday for a short debate on the Financial Regulator. AIB's profits of €1.7 billion may have been noted in the House yesterday. We can forget about the profit figure and the past scandals, but anyone who watched Tuesday's edition of "Prime Time" knows that AIB is at the same racket in different ways by inducing vulnerable people to take out...

Seanad: Nitrates Directive: Motion. (1 Mar 2006)

Shane Ross: I do not claim any great knowledge of the nitrates directive. However, when I read the background I was very surprised to hear that the directive was first meant to come into force in 1991. It amazes me that it did not come into force much earlier and that successive Governments have resisted its implementation for so long. The reasons have been put forward by the Opposition in the motion. I...

Seanad: Nitrates Directive: Motion. (1 Mar 2006)

Shane Ross: Ministers' speeches are normally written in rather dull jargon produced by civil servants and backroom boys.

Seanad: Nitrates Directive: Motion. (1 Mar 2006)

Shane Ross: I was not here for the Minister's speech but there is a considerable amount of fairly convincing rhetoric in it. It is a tribute to this House that the Minister has taken the time to read the motion and reply to it in a quite robust fashion. I see this motion very simply. It is an issue of a strong but diminishing farming lobby against an issue of water quality. Those of us who are not...