Joe O'Toole (Independent)

The issue is clearly beginning to gather moss among the general population. People are very upset and concerned about what is going on. From the outset I was actively in favour of electronic voting for two reasons; one reason was speed and the other was accuracy. It was suggested that, for the first time, we would have true proportional representation. It now appears that we cannot have true proportional representation. For me, this was the biggest reason for being in favour of the electronic system.

I ask that the Leader convey to the Government the embarrassment people felt while listening to the Minister of State talking about this issue on RTE radio last night. This was picked up on by "Morning Ireland" today. One would not hear the like in a pantomime; the Minister of State argued that these were voting machines and not computers and was not able to answer simple questions on the issue. This is the wrong way to go about giving trust and confidence to the population. A serious problem is arising here and it is a pity it is dividing parties along Government and non-Government lines. Each Member of the House should have a view on this. I speak as one disinterested in party politics. However, we should worry about this issue. Can someone indicate to me why this system cannot provide true PR?

Cork, the capital city of Munster, has offered calculated contempt to the rest of Munster by choosing Dustin the turkey as the grand marshal for the city's St. Patrick's Day parade. The leader of the Labour Party in this House often purports to be a Cork man. Does he associate himself with this?