Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator Mansergh for sharing time with me. I compliment Fine Gael on tabling this motion for debate, which I regard as politically very courageous on its part. Some might regard it as foolhardy but that is not how I see it. This is an issue which, in the long term, will ultimately impact on the lives of our people, particularly the younger generation. I would greatly prefer to have it discussed in the Houses of the Oireachtas than in some small, unrepresentative, unelected, undemocratic, clandestine world body, where the big boys meet in secret and play with our lives, without any mandate from the people of the countries whose lives are at stake. I need not go any further in that regard – people are aware that such bodies exist. It greatly worries me that they are able to exist without any censure from people in general or even the media, although in recent times a censure is beginning to develop with regard to such assemblies and gatherings. Accordingly, this debate should be particularly open.

It might appear a rather hackneyed dictum to speak in terms of the pen and the sword. In fairness, equating the sword with military capacity, our sword is very short and not very sharp. Equating the pen with moral influence, we are very strong. In that context, we can make a far greater impact.

I recall the Falklands war and the independent stance taken by the then Taoiseach, Charles J. Haughey. Given the clamour that ensued for 48 hours afterwards, we expected the world to fall on top of Ireland and that we would be severely punished for not taking a stand with Britain and its allies in the Falklands war. I regarded the stand taken by the then Taoiseach – I said it at the time in my oration at the Liam Lynch commemoration in Fermoy – as one of the greatest indications of our sovereignty for more than 50 years.