Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was not in the Chamber yesterday but I wish to add my voice to those which expressed shock and horror at the events in Paris. Those events were barbaric in the extreme and they have left hundreds of families bereft. It is worrying to note that major sporting events had to be cancelled yesterday and last night. To a certain extent, this possibly creates a greater encouragement to these people and the hatred within them. I hope and pray that politicians across the world will realise the gravity of the situation and pull together once and for all. This has the potential to have the same impact as the events in Sarajevo in 1914 or invasion of Poland prior to the Second World War.We are not too far away from a third world war if this kind of thing goes on.

On a brighter note I give a cautious welcome to the latest agreement in Northern Ireland. Thank God they are not calling this one "historic" as that word has been played out. It is encouraging and I am glad that our Government had an input into it, but for how much longer will the two major parties in the North expect everybody else to stop everything and hold their hands when they are having another one of their problem "stop the world I want to get off" fits? Real politicians are supposed to solve problems in a real way. I have nothing against the two major parties but I am encouraged by the signs of life that are coming up in the Unionist side and the other Unionist group and in the change in leadership in the SDLP which may reinvigorate politics generally in the North and make for more inclusion by the people. I have a feeling there is stranglehold up there and that people are possibly afraid to move outside the two major mega blocks of the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin.

I welcome, in advance, the announcement of the Fianna Fáil programme to restore local government, and specifically town councils, if and when we are next in government which hopefully will not be too long away. It was a rash move by the Ministers Phil Hogan and Alan Kelly and I think it is already having a negative effect in towns around the country. I speak in particular of towns in Kerry and their sense of ownership of their mayor, their pride in their town hall and their town chamber. All of that has been diminished despite the great work being done by the county councillors to fill the void which was created by the local area municipal groups. I welcome a good, healthy debate on that issue in the new council on the new Seanad and I hope to be in the House to take part in that debate.