Results 7,861-7,880 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Seanad: Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (22 Jun 2010)

Alex White: Bhí mé ag éisteacht leis an méid a bhí le rá ag an Aire agus ag an Seanadóir Ó Murchú ó thaobh na dréachtstraitíse de. Is cóir dúinn sa Seanad an straitéis seo a phlé. Tá an comhchoiste ag obair ar an straitéis faoi láthair ach is maith an rud don Teach seo díospóireacht a bheith againn. Tá sé níos deacra páirt a ghlacadh i ndíospóireacht as Gaeilge. Ní rud...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (22 Jun 2010)

Alex White: I join with others who have spoken in remembering Senator Peter Callanan, a most valued colleague in this House. I remember him with great affection, as a party leader and as an ordinary Member coming in here for the first time three years ago. He was most welcoming, most interested in our backgrounds and solicitous for our welfare. He had a great sense of humour and was an interesting man...

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: Professor Honohan stated in his report that Government policy clearly played a central role in contributing to the crisis. He said that macro-economic and budgetary policies contributed significantly to the economic overheating, relying to a clearly unsustainable extent on the construction sector and other transient sources for Government revenue and encouraging the property boom via various...

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: This is the old language of Deputy Bertie Ahern. One says one thing but then one carries on as if one did not say it. Senator Cassidy is very good at that as well. He is an exponent of the art of delusion where one says one thing but in fact one carries on as if one had not said it.

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: The consequences of accepting responsibility for bringing the country to the brink of ruin is that one should leave office.

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: Senator Cassidy had the gall to say that the people have confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government, which they manifestly do not. If he is so clear that is the case he should put it to the test.

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: There is nothing terribly wrong about having an election; it is a perfectly democratic exercise. If the Government is so confident that the people——

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: Is this a debate or is it some sort of pub talk?

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: That is the sort of activity that the Members opposite appear to want to engage in. We either have a debate or we do not. I never heard such nonsense as the Tánaiste saying we are personalising the debate around the Taoiseach. If one is to talk about the Taoiseach's performance, one must talk about the Taoiseach. The Taoiseach's name is Brian Cowen. To that extent the debate is being...

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: That is a matter of fact. The people opposite do not like facts.

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: They are the facts. The other fact is that yesterday we were told that unemployment in this country is now 3% above the European Union average. That is the state of affairs we have reached in this country. Anyone who has any sense of reality cannot possibly invoke the banking reports in support of the Government's position. The absolute contrary is the case. One only has to read the...

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: We now have a little word from the "continuity PDs".

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: The people were at the heart of all of this occurring——

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: I respect that but I only have eight minutes and I will not allow any of it to be taken by interruptions. If I am interrupted I will respond in kind. We only have to look at the television programmes to show the historical fact that one of the intellectual influences on the Government in the past 15 years was from Senator O'Malley's former party, if it still exists or if she is still in it....

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: The fact is that the Progressive Democrats were at the heart of Government and the decisions that were made by the then Minister for Finance, Mr. McCreevy——

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: ——and by Deputy Cowen when he was Minister for Finance. They have us where we are. That is the reason for the present situation. There is no confidence. Everyone knows the vote will go through in the same way as it did in the Dáil. I accept and respect that, constitutionally, the Government has a mandate from the people based on the previous election. However, it does not have a...

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: Did the Senator oppose or support them?

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: The Senator is invoking them now.

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: The Progressive Democrats wanted no stamp duty.

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Alex White: At least they had an election.