David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the publication of whistleblower legislation. It has taken a hell of a long time to come out. I will examine it with interest. Whistleblowers have not been protected. I raised a very serious case about misdoings of the Irish Financial Services Centre that involved international banks and not living up to the regulatory requirements. My whistleblower was correct and I was correct. The story was picked up by a German newspaper but largely ignored here. The man in question was sacked. Recently, a very decent garda was sacked. His position was basically made untenable because he reported the circumstances regarding traffic offences. We really need to address this, particularly given the story of Edward Snowden, which I raised yesterday.

I propose an amendment to the order of business, namely, that instead of taking the first item, we invite the Minister for Justice and Equality to the House to explain Ireland's position on this matter. Mr. Snowden's predicament has apparently caused the private airplane of the President of Bolivia to be diverted out of French and Portuguese airspace. The slobbering referred to by Deputy Clare Daly in the other House seems to have become a European contagion. It is nothing other than an act of air piracy. As individual Members, we should nominate Julian Assange, Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden for the Nobel Prize for peace for what they have done in revealing the military atrocities one of our friends committed against civilian populations in various parts of the world. We must know about these events and that Mr. Obama has betrayed those of us who believed he stood for legality and decency considering the intensity of the drone attacks that murder people without giving them the opportunity to defend themselves in a court of law. In nominating these three brave people, we should ask the Swedish Academy, which gave US President Mr. Barack Obama the Nobel Prize for peace on spec, to strip him of it. Now we know the colour of his money.

I deplore the fact that the Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport has supported the drinks industry in opposing a ban on advertising during sport. It is lamentable that it did not call any evidence about the health impact. Some of the members went on the wireless talking about the health impact but they do not know what they are talking about as they received no evidence. They are a disgrace and should reconsider this matter carefully without the interference of the drinks lobby.