David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday I adopted the guise of the great Dean Jonathan Swift. That was possibly a tactical error as some of my colleagues believed I was posing as Shakespeare. The point I was making nevertheless remains relevant, that we must express our outrage as clearly, visibly and publicly as possible at the financial mess in which we now find ourselves. The issue is heightened by the fact that our masters in Europe have instructed us to ensure that people's houses can be taken from them. If anything calls for Swiftian irony, it is this kind of matter. Yesterday I expressed my hope that if the Government sends ¤3,000 million of our money, bled from us and without a vote of the Dáil, we should rise up in our hundreds of thousands and surround the Central Bank as a symbolic protest. I hope the unions will involve themselves in this.

I noted yesterday that a committee of the Oireachtas examined the controversial "The Frontline" programme. The media is inaccurate as I have not spoken about the presidential election; I have spoken about the behaviour of the media, although I have not complained about it. I do not currently propose to speak about the election, as I have a number of legal actions and it would be improper for me to do so. It would not be asking a great deal of the Oireachtas to examine the entire election, particularly media coverage, if there is courage to do so. The programme examined yesterday is but the tip of the iceberg. I am not impugning the election result and the Irish people can be very happy with it as we have a splendid Irish President. Nevertheless, the media process was corrupt and rotten. I would like my colleagues to have the courage to confront the issue, although I know they are cowed by the media when they are not performing or grandstanding for it. We should take a principled stand on this and act the way the British did, to a certain extent, with the Leveson inquiry.

With regard to the distinguished lawyer, Mr. Pat Finucane, it is extremely worrying that it is acknowledged by the Prime Minister of the neighbouring island that agents of the state were involved in moves that led to the murder of a citizen. I hope the matter will be taken very seriously. Mr. Moloney is a very considered journalist and his contribution makes it even more worrying. It appears our then Taoiseach, Mr. Charles Haughey, contacted the British authorities and probably the British Prime Minister to let them know that threats were being uttered with the connivance of the RUC against Mr. Finucane. We should stand firm and press for a public inquiry as no less is required and justified.

The report of Sir Desmond de Silva, QC, underlines the need for a public inquiry because it raises more questions than are answered in its pages.