Rónán Mullen (Independent)

Senator Bacik adverted today to her sense that there is a difference between censorship and what she might see as regulation of billboard advertising. I wonder whether she is the best person to be putting this case. I would like if we could have a debate, whether it be about lobbyists and registering them, and about how these things can tip over into a censorship mentality that would allow the suppression of free speech.

I was contacted by a former student of Trinity College yesterday who told me about the time when a certain students' union leader instigated a referendum on abortion information. Unfortunately, the pro-life group in the college was silly enough to boycott it so there was no debate except for some UCD students standing outside the campus. Under a by-law that was feverishly advocated by the then student leader, they were not allowed on campus to express their point of view. However, they found a loophole by way of a Trinity student who brought them in and they were able to express their point of view. That Trinity student wrote to me yesterday and that student leader was the Deputy Leader of the Seanad. We need to be careful about limping over into-----