Results 23,701-23,720 of 26,610 for speaker:David Cullinane
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: The Minister is trying to suggest that there is something wrong with having voluntary boards of management and people who live in communities influencing policy at the local level in matters of community development. The Minister is trying to present to me that this is in some way anti-democratic. Again, it shows up a character flaw in the Minister and a flaw in his thinking in respect of...
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: What the Minister should do is, first, take the opportunity to apologise to the community and voluntary sector for his comments today.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: The Minister should also apologise to Senator Ó Clochartaigh for the aspersions he cast in respect of him.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: That would be more in his line.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: I notice there is no heckling from those in the Labour Party because, in fairness to those in the Labour Party, they support community development.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: They support community development. Again, this is a case of Fine Gael driving through a policy, supported by Fianna Fáil, which is about taking power away from the community and putting it into the centre, like what we are doing with everything else.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: Many people who work in those communities-----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: The Minister would know a good deal about democracy.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: When the Minister is abolishing town councils-----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: Those in Fine Gael thought the Seanad referendum campaign would sail through and they got their answer.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: The Minister would know a good deal about democracy. What the Minister is doing is undermining democracy in this Bill by abolishing whole layers of local government.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: If the Minister is so interested in democracy, now that he is in full flight, then-----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: Let us wait until the next election comes and we will see who will be elected.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: If the Minister is so interested in democracy, why is it that he rules out the amendments that my party tabled in respect of holding plebiscites-----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: The holding of plebiscites on the amalgamations of city and county councils-----
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: Those amendments were tabled but the Minister ruled them out of order. The Minister said he looked at them but he did not go with them. If the Minister is so interested in democracy, why did he not ask the people? If the Minister so interested in democracy why did he not put the abolition of town councils to the people by way of referendum?
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: Why? It is because the Minister has no interest in democracy and because he wants to railroad through his Bill.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: If the Minister is really interested in democracy he should hold plebiscites on these issues. The Minister has shown an appalling lack of understanding of community development. He has done a disservice to all the volunteers who have done great and valuable work in the community and voluntary sectors. Unfortunately, they have been proven right. They had a fear that this would happen. They...
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: People do not believe that.
- Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)
David Cullinane: I am not saying that social inclusion committees and the way they rubber-stamped the plans of some of the local development companies is the way to go either.