Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will make one response to Senator Keogan. Large sections of Europe have opened up but anyone who travels anywhere in Europe is required to show a vaccination certificate on entry to bars, restaurants and venues. I know that from experience. The Government is, therefore, in line with the rest of Europe in requiring the Covid certificate to be shown and that is the correct approach.

I wish to raise two linked events that have happened in recent days. The first was the rather amusing takedown of Nigel Farage by RTÉ's Claire Byrne, exposing his lack of knowledge of Irish history. The fewer platforms that are given to his anti-immigrant, anti-European, populist nonsense, the better. The second event happened last Friday when, in a much more serious vein, film director David Puttnam, speaking at a lecture in honour of the late Shirley Williams, spoke of the pig ignorance of some British politicians regarding Ireland, and in particular his fear of the way in which Rupert Murdoch has helped to remake Britain in his own malevolent image. We should have concerns about both of those events. There is an issue around the level of awareness of Irish history and politics among some in British society. That sometimes stems from ignorance and is often because education of that history does not exist in Britain. It is important for us, in our efforts in foreign affairs, to communicate effectively our history and politics.

We should not rest on our laurels and simply assume that we do not have populists here. Unfortunately, we have seen a deterioration in standards among some involved in journalism to the level of the red-top standards we see in the UK. There is a real responsibility on those of us in politics and journalism to ensure that commentary is informed and, in particular, constructive.