Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know that, as a member of the media committee, the Acting Leader will have some interest in what I am about to say. Since the call for the European elections started, the short amount of time allocated to candidates on RTÉ News to try to get their points across is appalling. Then we get the also-running - people who might be less known. The ones who have some bit of a profile are brought onto the news and they are expected to make their pitch in three minutes. The also-running do not get on the six o'clock news. They do not get to make their points in any public way whatsoever. It is an appalling way for the national broadcaster to treat what is an extremely important election for Ireland.

Having said that, some of the candidates that have been on are going to fix housing and health in Ireland from Brussels. This is great news. I am delighted to hear it. I would love to know how they are going to do it. Maybe there was one sensible statement made and that was about getting money from the European Investment Bank or at least supporting that. Let us start being realistic with the electorate and talk about the things we can really influence and not try to move into the area of TDs and county councillors. That is where their job is - on the ground in Ireland dealing with Irish issues at the coalface. The European Parliament is different. It is about European control over what comes into and goes out of Ireland.

This brings me to the issue of defence. Dr. Eoin Drea, senior research officer at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, has an article on Politico this morning about the appalling state of our country, entitled, "Ireland’s the ultimate defense freeloader". He sets out in great detail how we have freeloaded on our European neighbours for far too long. Right now, we are an open door into Europe for drug and people traffickers and those who wish to sail over our cables in the Atlantic.I am aware the Acting Leader, Senator Byrne, has an interest in that and he has often spoken on it. More of us in Leinster House need to be talking about defence to try to get us to where we should be going. I have huge praise for the Chief of Staff for being elected to his European role but it is not good enough. It really is not good enough.