Results 5,561-5,580 of 7,583 for speaker:Rónán Mullen

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I remind the House of the visit today of archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India. As I mentioned yesterday, the archbishop is in Ireland as a guest of Aid to the Church in Need and comes from one of the poorest regions in India. It is one of the regions where there has been intense and sustained persecution of Christian people. Some horrific incidents have taken place...

Seanad: Media Standards: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Addressing the Leader briefly, it might be good if we could roll this debate on to a future date because I had some points and comments I would have liked to make. However, I cannot make them now given that we are down to questions. Perhaps we could be facilitated in that regard. If the Minister were amenable to returning on some convenient occasion, it might be possible for more of us to...

Seanad: Media Standards: Statements, Questions and Answers (22 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: That does not happen. It is highly hypothetical.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Invite him in, we would be nicer to him than Vincent Brown would.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien on the Government's approach to the announcement of the sale of State assets. It is one of the more regrettable developments in politics in recent years that the Oireachtas is bypassed when news must be told to the people. In a sense, it shows the authoritarian nature of our political system in that government commands and oversees all while it does not...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: The 20th century was probably as bloody as all other centuries put together. I hope all Members will have a received a note that the archbishop of Orissa, John Barwa, will give a briefing tomorrow at 12.15 p.m. in Leinster House about the persecution of Christians, particularly in his area, one of the poorest states in India. At a time when we are talking about human rights in China, this...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Is léir go bhfuil go leor rudaí atá fíor ráite ag an Seanadóir Bradford. He picked up where he left off on Second Stage by saying some things that really need to be said. We should be grateful to him for opening up the debate in this way. I have listened with interest to the responses to the proposal made by Senators van Turnhout and Mac Conghail that the required percentage should...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I was also struck-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Indeed, as she always does. Senator Bradford picked up on the point Senator van Turnhout made about women not being disinterested in politics. That is absolutely true. Women are not disinterested in politics. They are affected by politics as much as men are. That is why it is important for women to be well represented in politics. Their particular insights should be heard in the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I think I am getting to the point perhaps not as quickly or as satisfactorily as Senator Bacik would require, but I certainly do not intend-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I appreciate Senator Norris's intervention.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I am speaking to that amendment. I was about to say that while women are certainly not disinterested in politics, many of them may be uninterested in the particular role of running for election and perhaps that is part of the story as to why we do not have the representation that we would like. The question is whether we should try to force the system forward a little by creating...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: That certainly is what I took from his speech and I do not fault him at all for being loyal to his party and that is required-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: -----under the current system. This argument arose before on the gender side motion I put before the House where half the Government side actually agreed with my proposal. They could not understand the amendment to the motion but they were required by a party Whip to go against their own convictions as to what was best. I think I am progressing on the point quite fairly with regard to the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: What constitutes fair latitude on Committee Stage?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I hope there will not be a guillotine.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: I must respond to the Chair on this point. It is not my intention to hold up this debate unduly.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Senator Norris was correct when he spoke a few moments ago about the selective nature of the rulings as to brevity. It is important that we be reflective and Committee Stage is the Stage at which we ought to be reflective. I do not wish to patronise anybody but we cannot have a system where, on the one hand, we want to tell the country how great the Seanad is and how we have debates of a...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Senator Bacik is very comfortable with the limiting of free speech in a way that I find rather telling-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Feb 2012)

Rónán Mullen: Does Senator Bacik propose to guillotine the debate? Is that what she is telling us now?