Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Most council meetings are now broadcast live on the Internet. As such, there is a very high standard among councillors, and it is very competitive. Just like Senators, councillors always communicating via emails or mobile telephone. Life has changed. In order to be fair and not to have this as a permanent issue, let us do something sensible. Let us not be afraid of the electoral situation. All the political parties are afraid to say too much about councillors' pay because there could be a backlash. As far as I am concerned, let there be a backlash, and let there be fairness.