Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would like to join other Senators in condemning the demolition of the residence of The O'Rahilly. I share their disquiet. It is an assault on both our history and our heritage. I wish to make one additional point to those already made in the House today. No doubt the party in question who is being accused of the demolition will be afforded fair procedure and due process, but I hope that there will be a prompt investigation and that steps will be taken to ask for the house to be rebuilt.It is only when that power is invoked that such scant respect for our heritage and history will be taken seriously by all.

This morning in the House, the casual vacancy that arises following the resignation of former Senator D'Arcy was mentioned. No-one owns the seat but I believe the Fine Gael Party will have an influence on who will fill that seat as perhaps, will the other Government parties.

I recall that at the first sitting of the new Seanad, many bemoaned the fact there was no voice of northern unionism in the House. I will do all I can with the Green Party, as a potential block vote, to promote that possibility. That Northern voice in the House is lost. It is not up to me and I am not telling any party what to do. That is its own prerogative. However, I do not want us coming into the House after the by-election saying we still do not have a Northern voice in the House. I am aware that when the leader of the Sinn Féin Party in the Upper House, the former mayor of Belfast City Council, was appointed by his president, he pledged to work for all people on the island and no doubt he is doing his very best. I am sure, however, that he will accept it would resonate much greater than anything he can do at his very best if we had a voice of northern unionism in this House where there is a fine tradition of that in the past. I am making that gentle call without telling any party what to do.