David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to ask about the human trafficking Bill because I disapprove of the practice that is growing of taking all Stages together. Since this will obviously happen I ask the Leader to make sure that it happens as infrequently as possible and if there will be an opportunity to table amendments. It is important that we should be allowed to amend the Bill, particularly in light of organ harvesting. I very much welcome that this is being included in the legislation, as I understand it. I would like to table amendments.

I agree with my colleagues who have spoken about the appalling event yesterday in London. It is unusual in the savagery of the attack and in the blatant disregard for the feelings of the public, the family and the associates of this man when the perpetrators of the crime appealed to the public to make a film and photographic record of the event. That was an utter obscenity. It is important that there has been a broad range of condemnation across the cultural and political perspective in England. That is appropriate, but I would like to think that would be paralleled by a broad range of condemnation of the murder of people by our allies in places like Afghanistan by drone attacks. That cannot be used as an excuse for the kind of barbarism we saw in London but there is no doubt that we must not have double standards. As far as I am concerned, savagery is savagery and human rights are human rights. Both are universal concepts, and we cannot just pick and choose as we always do. I condemn this outrage but I also condemn the murder of large numbers of innocent people by depersonalised mechanical attacks ordered by our allies.