Alex White (Labour)

What is happening in the Government? Where has democracy in this State got to when Government Ministers can face in two, three or four different directions at the same time? How are we, as Senators, to take seriously any Minister or member of the Government who comes to this House to articulate the position of the Government on such an important issue when they spend their time disagreeing with each other publicly and undermining the position of people such as Professor Drumm who, for all the faults of the HSE, is clearly doing his best? How is he supposed to feel when a member of the Government, subject to collective Cabinet responsibility, says that he cannot make head nor tail of the organisation and that he finds it impossible to deal with? Credibility and coherence are demanded by the people, and by those in any democracy, of their Government. In this country, the day seems to be long gone when people resigned over issues they supposedly felt strongly about.

On the issue of Shannon, we now have the extraordinary situation that the Minister for Defence, Deputy Willie O'Dea, has been reported to be guilty of abusing individual citizens of this country who have the temerity to raise with him——