David Norris (Independent)

I am a politician and hold the profession of politics in high regard, but I am ashamed and saddened by the unedifying spectacle of recent days. In a storm the captain and officers of a ship stay at the wheel and their concern is for the welfare and safety of the ship and its passengers. This weekend we were in the astonishing position where, apparently, we had no Minister for Justice and Law Reform, no Minister for Foreign Affairs and no Minister for Health and Children. That is extraordinary and it was accompanied by naked opportunism that was universal as, once again, the people were forgotten as the parties and individuals jockeyed for position to gain electoral advantage. I exclude no party from this criticism. Now the Finance Bill will be rammed through both Houses in a couple of days. There are masses of contradictions. What, for example, happened to the huge logistical difficulties about which the Minister for Finance told us recently with regard to the passage of the Bill? What about the position adopted on the other side of the House when we so consistently opposed the use of the guillotine and we are now offering ourselves for decapitation?

I very much welcome that there is to be some amelioration of the wretched universal social charge——