Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is a great man for suggesting that scenarios are fanciful and language is exaggerated. Let us analyse what we have just heard from the Minister and work out what is fanciful about the following scenario. An ordinary judge of the Supreme Court is appointed Chief Justice. Is that fanciful in any shape or form? Is it more likely than somebody else from a different court being appointed Chief Justice? The answer is, as the Minister well knows, that it is very likely that one of the eight or nine ordinary justices of the Supreme Court will be appointed to be Chief Justice should that job fall vacant. There is nothing unlikely, improbable or fanciful about it. If the consequence of that probable outcome is that there is a vacancy among the ordinary ranks of Supreme Court members, what is the likelihood that a judge of the High Court or Court of Appeal will be appointed to that vacancy? If I may say so, through the Chair, the Minister knows damned well that the-----