Eoghan Harris (Independent)

I say in passing to Senator Ó Murchú that what is radically wrong is the obsession this Parliament has with one democratic state in the world to the exclusion of all the human abuse states in the world. However, that is not what I want to talk about. I ask the Leader for a debate on old age. I do not mean discussing old age in the sense of a whining response to the notion that we should work for longer periods but a positive debate on old age in all its aspects. I do not have to remind Members of this House from a rural background that retirement was almost unknown in rural Ireland. I remember seeing the Beara and Lees teams play in the 1950s when, because of emigration, the average age of the people on the pitch must have been 50 years of age.

It is very important that we stop treating old age as an illness or a disease or something at which the State must throw money. Barring their ill health, the huge contribution made by older people was something that Michael Collins, in particular, appreciated. He spent most of his time with older people. The huge advantage of old age noted by Simone de Beauvoir — there are many disadvantages — is the increase in the lack of judgmentalism. Old age is not frightened by events such as the recession. André Gide remarked that his 96 year old gardener, who had seen the Franco-Prussian war, said that what he had learned from life is that anything can happen. One of the things that people of age learn is that anything can happen but they are neither phased nor frightened by recessions, reverses or setbacks.

I concede there are disabilities in old age. Self pity is one such, as are selfishness and a tendency to drive slowly past the Wesley disco and discuss and give out about the lengths of skirt there and the sexual habits of people attending. That is the biggest disability of old age. Apart from that there is much to commend a debate on old age that would focus on the positive aspects — the wisdom, experience and simple courage that old age can bring to our society.