David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In light of the settlement of ¤500,000 made by The Sun for telling lies about an Irish citizen, the resignation in shame of the editor of the Irish Daily Star, and the publication at 1.30 p.m. today of the report of the Leveson inquiry, will the Government introduce the Privacy Bill? There are two Privacy Bills on the Order Paper, mine and the Government's. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, has frequently referred to his intention to bring this Bill forward, but nothing has happened. When will the Government stop huffing and puffing and do something? Irish citizens are also threatened by the same malign forces, as I know too well.

I refer to the situation in the economy and wish to draw a number of items together. Ernst & Young stands impugned today and its negligence, if such is proved, will have cost the Irish people billions of euro. A property tax is proposed when many people have a tiny disposable income at the end of each month. With regard to nurses, there is a report today which states that front-line services have been cut back. As far as I can see, the administration is left untouched. Services are reaching a point that is infinitely worse than that in the neighbouring island and patient health is now seriously threatened. Senator Crown spoke passionately about the cystic fibrosis unit. People, whose faces and voices we know, are hurting.

Despite this, we heard today an English businessman living in Donegal remark, complacently and, I thought, rather patronisingly, on how well-behaved the Irish population were.

I think it is about time we became less well-behaved and raised these questions. We need to take the opportunity of having the Presidency of the European Union to confront our masters in Europe with these issues. The people are really suffering and it is a time for an end to kowtowing and forelock touching. I for one do not accept the usual excuse that it is post-colonial fatigue. That ended 100 years ago. I do not usually use slang but we should get over it. We need to get a bit of backbone, man up - as I understand the phrase is - and confront our slave-masters in Europe by refusing to take any more of this austerity which is driving not just the economy but the people of Ireland down.