Order of Business - 14th December 2005

Order of Business – 14th December 2005

Mr. Norris: I ask the Leader again if we can continue to have a debate on Iraq. It is very important, even though sometimes we must feel like a Greek chorus, lamenting impotently the folly and blindness of leaders. There is something very tragic in seeing a great country like the United States miring itself in the filth of the war in Iraq. To illustrate how important it is that we continue to speak out on the issue, a report today indicates that there was yet another secret prison in Baghdad housing 625 people, so crowded together that they had to sleep on top of one another. Some prisoners had cigarette burns on their bodies, while others had broken limbs. It is an appalling situation.
We have seen the House of Commons report of the Foreign Affairs committee which states quite clearly that US personnel have been involved in grave human rights violations, as have UK personnel, and the Government in Britain is obfuscating. Our Government is obfuscating too, with regard to the flights at Shannon. We must bear in mind what the Lord Carswell said about the use of information obtained through torture, namely that it would "...shock the conscience, abuse and degrade the proceedings and involve the state in moral defilement". We are involved in moral defilement.

An Cathaoirleach: We hope to have a debate and the Senator can raise those points then.

Mr. Norris: Thank you, a Chathaoirligh. I agree with much of what my distinguished colleague, Senator O'Toole, said on the subject of Irish. It was very refreshing to hear the ding dong, as Gaeilge, between Senators O'Toole and Ryan. It demonstrated that the language has not quite died.

Mr. Kitt: Ding, dong, Dingle.
Mr. Norris: I am grateful to my colleagues for that and regret my own inadequacy in the language. However, I believe the argument about placenames shows an arrogant fanaticism that drives people away from Irish and it should be corrected. The translation of documents into Irish can help to revive the language, if jobs are created. Jobs are where the survival of the language rests. However, we must take a balanced view. Following the Order of Business today we will deal with the University College Galway (Amendment) Bill, part of the aim of which is to remove, as a requirement for professorial posts, the speaking of Irish. That silly requirement has caused the university to miss out on very some good appointments.