Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join Senator Bacik in congratulating the British House of Lords on an excellent report on Brexit and UK-Irish relations, which makes some excellent suggestions. For those who have not read the report, I recommend that they do. I was somewhat disappointed as I felt that more people would have been interested in meeting the delegation from the House of Lords. I understand they had bilateral meetings with political parties yesterday. I was delighted to be with Senators Richmond and Coghlan in meeting Lord Jay.

What the House of Lords has done is extremely important. It has put itself out front and centre, showing concern for the relationship that exists between our two islands, which is vital. That matter needs to be followed up rapidly. They would probably welcome some more interaction between this House and the House of Lords, something we should consider in the not too distant future.

Senator Bacik also raised the issue of Aleppo. Every few days or weeks we hear something about Aleppo. When we go home and switch on the television we look at rubble, which is all that is left of that city, and we talk about the horror of it. Does anybody really give a continental damn? It seems to be caught in the middle of a political argument between the great powers and nobody seems to care. When I look at what is there, one would not put children out to play in it. However, children have to be brought up and educated in it, and hospitals are trying to run in it.

I agree with Senator Bacik that we should have a debate in this House, but I would invite the Russian ambassador to sit in on that debate as a guest in the House to hear what is being said because clearly he is not listening. We might also get the US ambassador to sit beside him and get them all to listen to what is being said. Somewhere along the line the message is failing on deaf ears.