Results 23,621-23,640 of 26,766 for speaker:David Cullinane
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: I thank the Minister of State for his response and all Senators for their comments on this Private Members' motion. I will respond to them in the most constructive way I can.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: I will start with the contributions of Fianna Fáil Members. If we could generate electricity or energy from the hot air and wind that came from some Fianna Fáil Senators, we would be home and hosed in reaching our renewable energy targets. I must point to a number of facts. Sinn Féin's position on overgrounding versus undergrounding of high voltage power lines is the same in...
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: We join Senator Paschal Mooney in accepting that we do not have devolved power, but the reality is that-----
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: The only political party on the island of Ireland doing anything about trying to obtain full fiscal powers for the Northern Ireland Assembly and the people of Ireland is Sinn Féin.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: Unlike the Fianna Fáil Party, my party is organised in the North. It is the largest political party on the Nationalist side and one of the largest on the island of Ireland. That is where much of the opposition to Sinn Féin's motion comes from. Fianna Fáil Senators spoke against it, but they said they would support it, which is more hypocrisy.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: The Senator has no point of order to raise.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: I am glad that Senator Paschal Mooney has shifted his position in the past few minutes.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: I am grateful to Senator Paschal Mooney, but I point to the hypocrisy of Fianna Fáil on this issue. When it was in power, it was in favour of EirGrid's plans, high voltage power lines-----
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: Not personally, but the Senator's party was in favour of them. Fianna Fáil brought forward the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act that allowed EirGrid to go straight to An Bord Pleanála and bypass the proper planning system.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: The track record of Fianna Fáil on this issue speaks for itself.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: Now that it is in opposition, Fianna Fáil can make policy on the basis of which way the wind is blowing. The opinion polls show what people think of Fianna Fáil. Senator Tony Mulcahy was one of the Senators who said Sinn Féin was against everything and in favour of nothing. The motion shows that we are in favour of maximising the potential of renewable energy sources.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: We are in favour of doing this in the interests of the people and not in favour of people exploiting our natural resources for profit to sell energy to Britain or anywhere else.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: What we are in favour of is clearly understood in the motion and my contribution.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: Senator Ivana Bacik also spoke about what she saw as confusion in the motion where we dealt with wind turbines, overhead pylons and power lines. There is no confusion. It is a general motion on energy policy, the need for Ireland to be energy independent, as much as possible, in order to reach our renewable energy targets, by using the energy created for the common good of the people of the...
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: There was a lot to which I had to respond and I hope I have clarified Sinn Féin's position. I thank the Minister of State for attending. We need a constructive debate because people are concerned about many issues. We will push the motion to a vote as we do not agree with the amendment. The motion should have been supported.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: The Senator cannot even name one.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: What is Sinn Féin's position in the North?
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: The Senator might enlighten me as to the change in policy.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: The Labour Party three.
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)
David Cullinane: Yet one of the Fianna Fáil Senators will vote against the motion. There must be a split in Fianna Fáil.