Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

I support Senator Mac Conghail's call to invite former President Robinson to the House to give her views on her visit to Africa. The Horn of Africa is facing its worst famine in 60 years. A total of 10 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya face starvation. Given our own history, the view of Africa from this side of the world is probably similar to the view the Victorians had of the Irish, namely, that we deserved what we got. When Lord Trevelyan closed the famine relief efforts and soup kitchens, he said the situation in Ireland shall be left to the operation of natural causes. I am sure there are elements in the World Bank looking at the situation in the Horn of Africa who have a similar Victorian-type view.

Dr. Nally, who is publishing a book on the Famine, Political Violence and the Great Irish Famine, spoke about the structural violence in terms of the Famine. There was an institutional arrangement that made society vulnerable to famine. It made us dependent on our near neighbour without us being able to realise our potential. The same situation applies in Africa today. The notion that science can provide a solution to famine is not true because famine is a human phenomenon. It can be solved through politics. In the same way as ships were leaving this country during the Famine laden with food for ports in other countries while relief ships were on the way, Africa, which has an abundance of resources in ores, diamonds and gold has all its resources leaving its land while people are starving at the same time.

I look forward to the debate in the House, which I hope will take place next week, on Palestinian statehood. The debate must happen now before the House reconvenes in September because the United Nations General Assembly will have voted on the resolution by then. The parallels between this country in 1918 and Palestine of today are similar in that no one wanted to recognise Irish independence. Palestinians are not looking for recognition of all of their lands, as the 1967 borders represents only 22% of what was formerly Palestine. They are not asking for the world; they are not even asking for their own share of it, they are only asking for one fifth of it. If our learned colleagues opposite do not put forward a resolution to be agreed by all Members of the House, then we will table one. We would be very interested to see how members of the Labour Party would vote on the issue given the fact that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade stated today that he wants to be there to recognise Palestinian statehood. Let us see and test his mettle.