David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Marie Louise O'Donnell's proposal.

I raise the question of the Pope's visit. I was disturbed to hear on the wireless over the weekend about groups of people who are each buying blocks of 660 tickets and then deciding not to use them in order to reduce the numbers at this event and prevent other decent people who want to go from being allowed to attend. That is extremely mean minded. I do not agree with it at all. I have issues with the Vatican but the way to deal with that is in a dignified way and not this kind of attempt to wreck the visit. I appeal to those with these large numbers of tickets to release them so that decent, ordinary Irish Catholics can go to see the Pope.

I refer to the presidential election. I notice Fianna Fáil has now thrown its weight in behind Michael D. Higgins. It has also instructed Members of the Oireachtas and members of local authorities not to support any other candidate except Michael D. That is very dangerous, and I am quite sure Fine Gael will follow suit. I was blocked during the 2011 election. I was not allowed even to speak to Galway County Council as a result of the operations of Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, who was then the Mayor of Galway. She put a ban on that. This is quite wrong. On the previous occasion, until I entered the race there was going to be no race. The political parties were hugger-muggering. They were moving towards selecting an agreed candidate because the parties do not like having presidential races. They have absolute contempt for the Office of the President in political terms. They could not be bothered running anybody.

I know they say Michael D. is an excellent candidate, which he is, and he has been a very good President, but in a general election, if candidate Kelly from Fine Gael was an excellent candidate would Fianna Fáil stand back and say, "Ah no. We wouldn't go up against Deputy Kelly. He's an excellent candidate".