Results 1,661-1,680 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: No. I am saying to you-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: -----that my observation is not a threat. I am making the very simple point that an intelligent parliament, confronted with the opportunity to say "No" to the Bill, would stick with the current regime which is working very well and to which nobody is objecting and not waste €500,000 to establish this-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: -----quango and delay the process. The aim of amendment No. 4 in my name is simply to give whoever will be in office after the next general election the opportunity to say if this provision was wise in the first place or the result of the Independent Alliance's insistence on its insertion in the Constitution. That is the only argument I am making. We should give the Oireachtas another...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: An outstanding-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: I am agreeing with Senator Conway in making that unruly interjection. The Minister does have an outstanding record. The national interest would be served by amending the Bill to give the Houses of the Oireachtas a veto in deciding whether the legislation should ever be commenced. My final comment is that I fully acknowledge that in most cases commencement orders are made by way of a...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: The Minister has again provided the short rationale that this is an unprecedented move, which must therefore be rejected. The argument was made earlier that-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: -----any U-turn had to be rejected in principle and by definition. We are in a very peculiar situation. The Taoiseach has said that he favours holding a general election in May 2020. If this Bill passes through this House in the next number of weeks, goes back to Dáil Éireann and is passed by it, and is signed by the President without reference to the Supreme Court, it would be...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: Even with kryptonite in abundant supply and the Minister wearing his underpants outside his uniform-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: Even if that were to happen, the commission will not be in existence before the next general election.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: I strongly believe the Bill would not have been introduced in its current form were it not for a happenstance, a peculiar obsession on the part of one or two individuals who have had leverage over the Government. That being the case, a new Government will be duty-bound to ask whether the commencement of the legislation will really add anything to the quality of the Judiciary by comparison...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: As one of the others, I am very happy-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: On a point of order, the Minister made two speeches-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: I just wanted to say that I will consider his kind invitation to join him in the Dáil.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: Senator Craughwell is reserving his position because he is still available for the Presidency.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (19 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: Yes.
- Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: I agree with Senators Ardagh and Boyhan about what is happening in Dublin. Dublin City Council is now spending the bones of €1 billion. It has 6,000 employees and has outsourced most of its contractual activities. The circumstances in which the manager can effectively confront the elected representatives and dispute their budget on the basis that the Custom House has cut back the...
- Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: Because it was too high to start with.
- Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: It was 15% off last year also.
- Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: Your election manifesto said it would be abolished.
- Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Nov 2019)
Michael McDowell: We will mention it next Tuesday.