David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sad that there have not been more contributors. To take the positive first, Senator Mark Daly's suggestion that we contact the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach was worthwhile, although Bank of Ireland will not turn up. In correspondence from the IPSC, I was told that the bad news was that it had heard nothing from Bank of Ireland despite having written to it twice. The bank will not listen. This is causing disruption to the IPSC's financial operation and is distracting it from its main work, which is lobbying.

As to Fianna Fáil, were former Senators Labhrás Ó Murchú and Mick Lanigan still in the House, that disgraceful amendment would not have been moved. I have been a Senator for 30 years. Not once do I remember Government time being given to a motion from an Independent Member only for the motion to be amended. It has never happened. It is lamentable. It shows us to be gutless, weak, equivocating and mercenary. Consider the motion and what its says. Let us put it on the record to the shame of those two parties. That is, unless at the last minute they are prepared not to force a vote. If they force a vote on this, they can never call themselves friends of Palestine again. My motion reads:

That Seanad Éireann strongly condemns the Bank of Ireland for its arbitrary and undemocratic decision to close the accounts of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and requests that they immediately reverse this decision.

It has a number of elements, the first of which is condemning Bank of Ireland. Are the parties afraid to do that? Why would they not condemn it? If we allow it to get away with this, it can do it to any of us. Do the parties realise that? My accounts that I have had for nearly 70 years in Bank of Ireland could have been closed because I stood up for the Palestinians, East Timor or Tibet when the Chinese behaved as they did. Be careful with the amendment, which merely "calls on the Bank of Ireland to meet immediately with the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign to discuss the closure". How pathetic is that? The parties will not be forgiven if they force a vote on this.

The Government gave time and we have had a good suggestion and a reasonable debate, but I cannot for the life of me understand why Fianna Fáil will facilitate the Government in running away from this issue. This is nothing other than running away from it. Fianna Fail can talk until the cows come home about bringing the matter to the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach but that has nothing to do with the motion. This motion condemns the interference with an Irish bank by the Israeli Government. It will get away with it unless the parties stand in solidarity with us and vote for the motion as tabled. Otherwise, it is indescribably weak, wretched, miserable and contemptible and a reproach to the decent people in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. I referred to Mick Lanigan and Labhrás Ó Murchú. I did not always agree with the latter, but he was a man passionately committed to human rights. Even Fine Gael's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan, who God knows is no friend to Palestine, said that he was gravely concerned. The Government is not concerned. It just wants to have a "meeting".

The suggestion about the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach is a worthwhile one. Let us go forward. I appeal to the parties not to call a vote. In my 30 years in Seanad Éireann, never has this kind of amendment been tabled to a motion for which the Government gave time. I will leave it at that.