Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was retorting with the view that the Taoiseach ought to be here to listen to it. That would have been unlike the set piece which we have had in Irish democracy for generations, whereby Parliament is a mere tool of the Cabinet of the day. That is not to absolve previous Cabinets nor is it an excessive criticism of the current Cabinet. However, it is a fact that Ministers take the view that they can simply give the legislation to the Chief Whip to get it over the line and they do not care about the views of parliamentarians. We all sit in the House whistling “Dixie” out the window giving our views on whatever the legislation is. By the admission of the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, he wanted to explain to us what the legislation means. I can speak English. Thankfully, I can read legislation. With a mere 11 years' experience in these Houses I have a view on the legislation before us without recourse to the help or assistance of whatever Minister is in the House. While I fully appreciate that we are on the all-important issue of the abolition day, if we are to accurately consider these issues, we must do it in a way by starting at the beginning.

I was doing a radio interview during the week with the Fine Gael director of elections who was promoting the abolition of the Seanad. It was on Highland Radio in Donegal. Unless people are from Donegal they would not have heard it. I gather it was broadcast midweek, but since Senator Harte was here on Thursday he probably did not hear it either. I asked the Minister whether he could tell me how many times the Government amended legislation in the Seanad last year. He said that it was far too easy for Senator MacSharry to be asking quiz show questions in such an interview. The interviewer put it to the Minister that he did not know. I told him, but I said another thing as well.