Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Green Party, Comhaontas Glas, also conveys its sympathy on the death of former Senator John A. Murphy. He was a towering intellectual. Thousands and thousands of people enjoyed reading his erudite published pieces in Sunday newspapers and elsewhere. I did not always agree with him. Other Senators referred to former Senator Andy O'Brien, who showed that constitutional republicanism is alive and well in Fine Gael. It is the Peter Barry school of republicanism. He was a great friend of John A. Murphy. I was delighted that Senator Joe O'Reilly made that connection between those two great friends.

Today is independence day for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Professor Simms described Ireland's performance at that time as squalid with regard to the carve-up and ethnic cleansing of that country in the 1990s. The phrase "level killing field" was used by some as a misguided reason for reluctance. That was used to justify doing little or nothing, thus isolating the Bosnians to defend themselves and their country. That conflict took place on the doorstep of Europe and it should have taught us the massive price of prevarication and doing too little, too late. As the heavily-armoured Russian convoys edge closer and closer to Kyiv, ready to lay siege to the capital as happened with Sarajevo, let us not be found wanting as an EU community. Let us act with our eyes open this time. Sanctions need to be cripplingly deep. Even if it costs us something, which it no doubt will, let us take that hit, because it will not cost the lives of women and children. Defending democracy is not cost-free.