Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

Unfortunately, one neither defends democracy nor advances freedom by losing the moral high ground. Once we start allowing, or closing our eyes and ears to the illegal practice of torture and the possibility of rendition, we are truly losing the human rights battle and the moral high ground that Western civilisations have traditionally claimed. For almost 50 years after the Second World War, there was a clash of ideology on the European continent. On one side of the Berlin Wall was the communist system of government, while on the other was an open, politically-free and market-driven economic project. However, the essential difference between those two governmental systems was that one allowed human rights, democracy and freedom to flourish, while the other did not. In the end, it was unsurprising that freedom won out.

I am greatly concerned that, as we look across today's world at what some call the clash of civilisations, to win the so-called battle, those who proclaim most loudly that they are advancing freedom and democracy have thrown away their moral compass, reducing themselves to practices outside civilised norms. The committee that we are attempting to establish in Seanad Éireann would investigate whether some of those illegal practices were facilitated or occurred at Irish airports.

As some speakers have said, the subject is currently being discussed at the Council of Europe, and several colleagues, including Senator Ormonde, would have attended the most recent plenary session a few weeks ago, where the rapporteur on the matter, Senator Dick Marty, presented his interim report. It is of course fair to say that the report probably raised more questions than it answered. However, it was the start of a process, and the Council of Europe expects each of its member states to respond and clarify the issues raised by the committee.

We in this committee could have played a role in that process. In a sense, we were being asked to do no more than the Government should have been doing. Senator Norris outlined his grave disquiet at some of the answers the Government has apparently given, and we must take on board much of what he has said. A significant body of opinion suggests that our airports are being used in a manner that the vast majority of citizens would neither accept nor wish to see. We should have been able to establish a committee in this House to ask the hard questions and determine the real position. It would have been in everyone's interest if we could have done so. No one gains from the current situation whereby we are expected to ask the US Government for an answer without any independent method of verification.

It is my deepest and dearest wish for us to conduct such an inquiry in full, investigating and examining all the claims made to us, ultimately finding that there is no practice of rendition, extraordinary or otherwise, through Shannon. Unfortunately, if we as a parliamentary group cannot even begin to ask the questions, we will remain in a fog of confusion and doubt. The questions of right versus wrong, morality versus immorality, torture and the abuse of human rights will only lead to further despair and disaster. We elected Members, guardians of the Constitution, have a duty to ask every possible question, using whatever mechanism is available to us, regarding any degree of attack on the human rights of citizens on our soil or those passing through our country. Those issues must be raised and the attacks ended.

I hope that, given the very reasonable and fair motion before us and the all-party agreement that obtained up to a few weeks ago, we might re-enter that spirit and establish a committee of which this House and the Irish public might be proud.