David Norris (Independent)

The reason I was waving was not to draw attention to my Standing Order 30 request but to get into the debate on this amendment. While I completely respect the ruling of the Chair, I wonder what it would take to get a different ruling. I remember proposing a matter in regard to an ESB strike where I was told from the Chair it was not a matter contemplated under that order or of national interest while, simultaneously, the then Taoiseach, Mr. Haughey, was declaring a national emergency in the other House. In terms of transparency, we might look at the criteria by which these decisions are made. We are all in favour of transparency with regard to female participation in the Oireachtas and all the rest but it should apply everywhere.

I am all in favour of sunset clauses. Senator Bacik has said quite a lot of what I would have said. Senator Mullen was probably in the House when one or two of them were introduced. I can certainly remember such legislation going through, including one Bill dealing with the architectural profession.

I agree it is social engineering, of which I am all in favour. I look forward to the day when there are no such things as gay organisations or gay pubs because they should not be necessary. All citizens should have equal access wherever they go. I did not get into that particular game in order to be a gay activist for the rest of my life. In fact, I am well out of it by now and am only a kind of fringe participant. It is a perfectly reasonable thing to want to engineer society in a progressive way and it is then a measure of success when it wastes away and withers on the vine. I have no problem with that whatever. If a sunset clause applied to that particular newspaper, I would look forward to the setting of that sun.

I wonder if it was not perhaps a delicacy on the part of Senator Bacik when she said she did not include the Seanad. Perhaps it was in deference to the local correspondent of The Sun, Mr. Enda Kenny, who has an idée fixe about abolishing the Seanad. It would have been a bit of an embarrassment if the Government side supported amendments which indicated a desire for the continuation of Seanad Éireann-----