Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

The Leader of the Opposition, Senator Brian Hayes, raised the issue of the Lord Mayor's Commission on Crime and Policing. The commission had some novel ideas. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform said in an interview that he would consider the commission's proposals and hoped to implement some of the measures in the current Garda Síochána Bill. The Senator also called for a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. No. 15 on today's Order Paper is a debate on that issue, to be resumed. This means that those who spoke earlier will not be able to speak again. As so much has gone on, perhaps we should fashion a fresh debate. The Senator also called on the EU to match the American financial donation to the peace process in Israel-Palestine. Senator O'Toole referred to the three column article by Kevin Myers in The Irish Times today. I have never read anything quite as contemptible. Of course, what will happen to Senator O'Toole and me is that Mr. Myers will bide his time before writing a ferocious article in which we are described as whingers. He called single mothers the mothers of bastards, or MoBs, and repeated the term approximately 12 times. It was contemptible. He thinks he is smart.