David Norris (Independent)

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned a protest that was taking place outside the gates by a group of Kurkish people. The Kurds are among the most oppressed people on the planet. They have been denied a homeland, their territory has been carved up, their villages bulldozed, women raped, men tortured and families driven through minefields. There is a point here for us as parliamentarians because yesterday a Kurdish politician was sentenced to six months in prison for referring to the Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan as Mr. Öcalan. One gets six months imprisonment for calling him "Mr.". What kind of a democracy is that, yet it is trying to enter the European Union? This is a matter we should take very seriously.

I am sure you, a Chathaoirligh, as a regular attender over many years at the interparliamentary union, will know that the group takes very seriously the rights of elected members. A strong protest should go to the Turkish Government about sentencing to six months in prison a man simply for using the word "Mr.". I remember at the first foreign affairs committee which was established that the entire Kurdish representation, 12 to 15 members, was put in prison. I cannot recall whether it was for speaking Kurdish but it was something like that. This is a matter we should look into.

I have great sympathy for the people in Procter & Gamble. Once again business management took the procedure of not informing the workers first but informing the media through a press release. This is wrong. It is not good PR but this is the way American capital works. Senator Dooley is beginning to realise that now after the way in which they all lick-spittled over Bush as hard as they possibly could in the desperate hope of keeping their own airport open.