Eoghan Harris (Independent)

Some of its remnants are deluded about this, but it is a drug-driven criminal organisation and an enemy of democracy. John Minihan was to the fore in making this clear because FARC was linked to the Provisional IRA's bomb-making technocrats and, in turn, to a journalist with stars in his or her eyes and journalists involved in the Daily Mail's despicable campaign against the Taoiseach.

John Minihan pioneered the campaign for the reform of stamp duty. I congratulate the Tánaiste, Deputy Cowen, on a thoughtful budget. While nothing is perfect, I welcome that he changed his mind. Lord Birkenhead said of Michael Collins that it was great he was loyal to the facts. It has taken the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance some time to come around on the question, but he has been assisted by a number of parties. In particular, much of the Labour Party's policy on stamp duty was visible in the Tánaiste's reforms, as was Fine Gael's input. It is difficult for anyone to change his or her mind. The Tánaiste had set his face against the reform of stamp duty and it took a great deal of guts to be loyal to the economic facts to make the necessary changes in an inequitable tax.

Like myself, the former Senator was no bleeding heart on law and order, but he would support me in supporting Senator Bacik's call for mercy to be shown in the run-up to Christmas to the three unfortunate women picked up recently on drugs charges. She reminded the House of the dangers of hysteria surrounding drug-taking. Speaking as someone who, from time to time, attends AA meetings, I know about substance abuse. There always has been a substance abuse problem in Europe, particularly in Ireland. Recently, I finished reading a long essay on poitín distillation and alcoholism in mid-19th century Ireland. It was a widespread problem, not just among the labouring and peasant classes, but also among the bourgeoisie of Dublin. Ether drinking was so widespread among the North's Protestant population that young ladies in every town used to carry rubber devices to breathe it in. There was morphine and opium abuse in late Victorian England.

There has not been a time without substance abuse in Ireland and there is no point in DJs or others getting hysterical about a current upsurge in apparent drug-taking because it has been publicised by the media. It is like the old canard of long ago, that the Swedes committed suicide unlike the Catholic Irish when the former were actually reporting on suicide unlike the latter. We are reporting more on substance abuse.

I appeal to the relevant authorities, the Government and the Opposition to join with the spirit of Senator Bacik's call and to give the unfortunate women a decent Christmas and some class of mercy or compassion. They are only part of a general problem in society, the foot soldiers in a complex matter. Like FARC, the Provisional IRA played a prominent part in the drug culture. Had it not called off its campaign, it would have degenerated like FARC. Remnants of the degeneracy are visible in the recent murder of Paul Quinn.