Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move that No. 160(3) be taken before No. 1. Why am I doing so? As the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have said, there will be no election in the near future. This House cannot be allowed to operate without its full complement of Senators, so I am moving this amendment. I hope the Leader will accept it.

The attack on Israel by Iran is bringing us one step closer to a repeat of 1914. All we need now is some idiot to make a mistake and we will find ourselves in war. We have war all over the Middle East but when I say "in war", I mean a world war. The Americans openly declared today that they helped Israel protect itself last night. That was commendable, but if Israel decides to strike Iran, who will protect the latter? We have a couple of warmongering butchers - and this includes Netanyahu - who want nothing more than war at this stage to protect themselves and their reputations. We have to call this out for what it is. It is outrageous. I again state that we need to progress Senator Black's Bill on the occupied territories.

Another issue I wish to raise concerns post office workers who paid class D PRSI and who continued to do so when the company was privatised. That had a certain guarantee built into it that someone's pension would remain with his or her peers. That has slipped and these workers are falling into poverty. I will have more to say on that in the coming days.