David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the matter of coverage of the Oireachtas by the media. RTE, as a public service broadcaster, has a responsibility to cover and report on issues of national significance. Last night in this Chamber we had an excellent debate on CETA and TTIP, two international trade agreements whose terms were negotiated secretly. The public of Europe were kept away from the negotiations and their view was not entertained. Under these proposed agreements the direction of policy will largely be handed over to multinational corporations and this is a matter of concern. I put two items on the record yesterday. One was about Argentina, where they secured a subsidiary of Enron to provide water services. The company, however, provided filthy, undrinkable water at outrageous prices. When the Argentinian Government took action to reduce the price and produce drinkable water for its citizens, the court held against it and fined it millions of pounds. In the case of Slovakia, public interest and public good were held to be less significant than the profits of a company. What kind of standards or morality is this? The motion was tabled by Senator Alice-Mary Higgins and it was a very passionate debate.