Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----because he will spend quite a lot of time here. I do not know who will look after the office. It is significant that the Government benches are so empty.

It speaks volumes. No one in the Fine Gael or Labour parties has any stomach for what the Taoiseach is doing. By their absence, they are verbalising it.

I wish to discuss for a moment the idea of democracy. Some excellent contributions have been made this morning. I listened to them closely. We all subscribe to the principle of democracy. We also take it for granted that it will always be there. We are wrong to do so. Democracy is a fragile flower.