Order of Business - 24th October 2007

Order of Business - 24th October 2007

I also welcome the fact that Gerry Adams has condemned the outrage that took place and indicated that members of the nationalist community should give evidence to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. I strongly agree with Senator Harris that this awful, brutal incident took place within context of Republicanism. There is no doubt about that. The chilling words, “Now you know who is in charge here” brought to mind that very remarkable programme, “The Killings at Coolacrease”, for which I pay tribute to RTE. It was broadcast last night and Senator Harris played a prominent and distinguished part in it. He was splendidly forthright, decent and honest. I was very ashamed by some of the things that were said. There was a horrible and nasty, small minded bestial attempt to smear retrospectively the Pearson family and I deplore that.

To hear a young historian say the mistake was that they did not finish them off is repulsive in the extreme. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. The ethos that operated in 1921 in Offaly is the same ethos that has operated in the Border counties, and it must be wiped out.
However, I do not share Senator Harris’s optimism about the success of the Italian police with the Mafia. It has not happened, although I wish it would. The Mafia is not the only group. There is also the Camorra and the other group with the unpronounceable name whose tentacles have reached into Berlin. They are very powerful and, like the IRA, they have not gone away. I wish they had.
It was also said in that programme that the Pearson girls were very aggressive. Is that really the case? When 32 armed and dangerous louts break in, having shot their two brothers-----

An Cathaoirleach: Does the Senator want a debate?

Senator David Norris: ----- and let them bleed to death, why do we describe them as aggressive? Let us have a bit of reality.
I agree that the episode should be looked at in the context of the Border and I listened to what Senator O’Toole said about passports. We already have a passport situation. The real Government of Ireland - I speak of Michael O’Leary and Ryanair - makes us produce our passports at the airport, so why should the British not do it? It will certainly put the cat among the Unionist pigeons. They will discover how united their kingdom is at the end of the day.
I want to raise the question of the civil registration and domestic partnership Bill. I had hoped to introduce this, but for technical reasons this will not happen until at least after Christmas. I would welcome it if the Government introduced the Bill in its own time because the situation is becoming urgent. I have a file of e-mails from people, including one from an Irish citizen who points out that last April the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform transposed the free movement directive into Irish law. This means that an EU citizen from outside Ireland can freely bring his or her partner, of the same or opposite sex, into the country but an Irish citizen resident here has no such right. There is this extraordinary anomaly and we are lagging behind. We discussed it in the previous Seanad. I hope there will be the same consensus in both Houses. There is time for us to bite the bullet on this issue and I look forward to the Leader indicating whether he will allow Government time for it. If not, I will have to introduce it after Christmas.