Seanad debates

Wednesday, 15 October 2003

Nobody has the right to break the law. If I sat on the streets in my youth, the gardaĆ­ were entitled to move me, which they did with considerable vigour. I might have complained about their vigour, but I would not have complained about their right to do so. We want to be clear about the fact that the non-collection of domestic waste poses an enormous public health threat. If I was to consider an issue, I would invite public opinion in Ireland to first observe the law and then to insist that everyone is equal before the law. If a rich man is sentenced to a week in prison for contempt of a tribunal, then putting a poor woman in prison for two weeks for a lesser offence suggests we are not all equal before the law. However, it is a separate issue. The law will be respected if people believe we are equal before it. If some people are smuggled in and out of prison to avoid an embarrassing photograph being taken of them walking in or out, that suggests we are not all equal before the law. That is the fundamental issue. I believe in the law. We are obliged to obey laws even if we disagree with them. However, we are entitled to a court and prison system which reflects that fundamental principle. Otherwise, it is not fair.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.