Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted the work I started in October 2014 has come to fruition. When I ran for the by-election in 2014 to fill a seat in this House, I brought Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael together to elect me. I am delighted that it has grown to what we have today and that we have managed to get a Government out of it. Sadly, we did not have Green Party members in the House at that time. If we did, I probably would have brought them in on the act as well.

We are in the middle of a pandemic and our front-line workers have been lauded by many people and it is only right that they are. The dangers front-line workers place themselves in on a daily basis was particularly brought home when Detective Garda Colm Horkan was shot and killed in Roscommon. This House should today pay tribute to Detective Garda Horkan and his family. The funeral was an extremely sad occasion and, indeed, we were very lucky that more gardaí were not killed on that night. I agree with Senator O'Loughlin that we should recognise the pain and hurt felt by families who lost loved ones and were unable to mourn them in the way that we normally would.

I congratulate Senator Flynn who ran on the labour panel and came very close to being elected. I am delighted she has been appointed to the Seanad by An Taoiseach. I would be less than true to myself and the principles which brought me to the Seanad if I did not mention the Taoiseach's 11 nominees. Untold damage has been done to North-South, to USA and to UK relationships. The failure of this Government to appoint a member of the unionist community and a Senator from the diaspora will have far-reaching consequences over time. I was against the appointment of Mr. Billy Lawless when it was made. However, having seen the work he did and the bridges he built, I believe a grave error has been made in not having a Senator for the diaspora, and it need not necessarily have been Mr. Lawless. I want to pay tribute to my former colleague, Mr. Ian Marshall, as well as to Mr. Lawless. Mr. Marshall had shown himself to be a mild-mannered, easy-going representative from the unionist community. He could work across communities and build bridges. Indeed, it was interesting to see Sinn Féin's reaction to the fact he was not called back. He was deeply respected by Sinn Féin and I deeply respect it expressing its dismay over the weekend. Mr. Lawless on the other hand was an amazing man with an amazing attendance record in the Seanad given he had to travel from Chicago. He will be a sad loss.

It would seem that when appointing the 11 the Taoiseach and his bedfellows favoured political loyalists at the expense of the marginalised. The appointment only goes to prove that political parties still see the Seanad as a resting place for those waiting to return to the Dáil or those who need to be blooded before they go there. The people of Ireland voted in a referendum to retain this House. There is so much good that we could have been doing in having legislation scrutinised, especially European legislation, and participating in various other public committees which I hope the Cathaoirleach will support over time.

The Taoiseach's 11 could do so much to represent the marginalised in this country. There was already a majority on the Government side. Was it beyond the capability of politics in this country to see the need to give the marginalised in this country a voice? These are people the Cathaoirleach has shown his commitment to, particularly in the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 which he brought in. Would it have been so terrible to have a few people here who could have spoken up for the marginalised? In the last Seanad, we had people like Ms Colette Kelleher. The Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018 was brought forward by former Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh. These people have shown that they can make a huge contribution to Irish society if they get the opportunity, but it would appear that it was party over people when it came to nominating Senators.

The people of Ireland voted to retain this House. They deserve an awful lot better than what they have got. A group of students said to me recently that if we cannot reform this House, it will die. I do not want this House to die and I believe all the Senators in this House have a serious contribution to make over the next few years, but by God we have got to answer what was underlying the 2013 referendum. That referendum called for reform. I will not draw attention to the Leader of the House, who I want to congratulate today, and her position at that time to which I am sure she was appointed. However, I hope she will work with those of us who want to reform this House and to make it more relevant to the 21st century.

Again, I congratulate you, a Chathaoirligh, and I look forward to working with you over the next 12 months or maybe a little bit longer.