Motion on International Agreements - 11th October 2006

Motion on International Agreements - 11th October 2006
Mr. Norris: I am the first Member, but perhaps I will not be the only Member, to object to this motion, first, because of the way it was bounced on the House without notice, second, it is being taken comparatively late in the business of the day, and, third, there are not enough Members present to have even a token vote. This debate is a non-event. It is not a real or full debate. It is a fig leaf to cover over this nonsense about democracy. I listened with incredulity to Senator Dooley refer to the democracy of the European Union and the watchdog role of the European Parliament. It is a very toothless watchdog. It found out what was being done was illegal. The matter was referred to the European Court of Justice and, in the interim, it continued doing it. How democratic is that? It is not democratic.
The Minister of State’s speech contained the usual ritual kowtowing in the direction of 9/11. I am sick of this. I agree it was a dreadful event. The Minister of State was shocked, as we all were, at the events of 9/11. Was he equally shocked by “shock and awe”, the blitzkrieg on Iraq? Was he shocked by the fact the United States Government seeks to practice torture of a manner not seen since the Gestapo? It wants to legitimate the mass bombing of civilians, the incineration of women and children and the use of cluster bombs in Lebanon by its allies. Do these practices not shock us any longer? There have been at least 100,000 civilian casualties in Iraq. Let us put on record who are the real terrorists. They are those with whom we are again so cravenly collaborating.
I accept it is possible the Americans have all this information already. They have sneaked into our telephone records and our bank accounts, and now we are handing over passenger lists, which will be of no use to them. They have already arrested people on the basis that they spoke Arabic, looked different and had Arabic names. Is this how the information will be used? Shame on the Americans. If they want an end to this awful situation of terror, they should examine its direct causes. There is no point playing around with the symptoms.
This is not democracy; it is a fig leaf. There should be a referendum in every European country with regard to handing over information to a deeply criminal regime, which is what the Bush regime is. I do not dislike America. I am one of America’s best friends in this country because I tell the truth about what is going on there, as a growing number of Americans know. It is a criminal regime. What President Bush has managed to do is make America the most hated nation on the planet, despite it having been one of the most loved.
Mr. Dooley: The process began in 1995 under President Clinton.
Mr. Norris: Undertakings have been given to the European Commission by the US authorities. They are not worth a damn. We have listened to what Condeleezza Rice said about torture. First, the US authorities do not seem to speak the same language. Second, they seem incapable of telling the truth or confronting real moral or ethical issues. I would not hand them any information about anything. It is Big Brother. The sooner we protect ourselves from it, the better.
Apparently, the Attorney General has given advice that there is no problem in this regard. How interesting. Why is it that university candidates in elections are under such stringent restrictions in terms of dealing with a similar database? Are the university elections more of a threat to security?
Mr. Dooley: For the like of the Senator perhaps.
Mr. Norris: That is the level of dishonesty that applies in this regard.
I deplore this motion and the way it was bounced into the House. I deplore the time of the debate, the lack of preparation, the lack of democracy and the fudge that covers over the utter democratic deficit in Europe that has been exposed in everything the Minister of State said. I do not believe the motion is as innocent as suggested. We are lickspittling yet again to a corrupt and criminal administration.
I cannot understand how President Bush has not yet been impeached for breaking state law, federal law, constitutional law, international law and international human rights law. This is the kind of person with whom we are dealing. This is the administration to which we are handing over information about Irish citizens. I oppose this. There is no point calling a vote and I will not do so. However, I want the record of the House to show that at least one voice spoke out passionately against this motion.