Order of Business - 10th March 2009

Order of Business - 10th March 2009
Senator David Norris: I had intended to raise several issues today. However, this is such a tragically important day that I will, like other Members, confine myself to the tragic events in Northern Ireland. I agree entirely with Senator Hanafin that these people are gangsters. Before coming into the Chamber, I heard a speaker on RTE radio claim they are not gangsters. What else are they? They operate in armed gangs to subvert the democratically expressed wish of the people of this island, North and South, and they care not a damn for the law or for family, decency or anything else. In my book at least, whatever about the views of callers to Joe Duffy’s radio show, they are gangsters.
As Senator Hanafin said, these tragic events constitute yet another poisoned gift from the people who gave us the Omagh bombing. These are people who, in the words of the great songwriter Paul Brady in his wonderful song, “The Island”, are “still trying to carve tomorrow from a tombstone”. They have nothing positive to offer, only death. It is as though the economic disaster we are all trying to face was not enough, they have to add murder, grief and misery. As an Irishman and a representative of this noble House of Parliament, it is my view that they have dishonoured and sullied the name of Ireland throughout the world. Their actions have brought shame on the country and will have negative political, economic and cultural consequences for us all.
We do not know who the perpetrators are but we know some of their characteristics. The first is arrogance. They have decided, with no standing whatever, that they can decide who is a legitimate target. How are they legitimate? Why are they targets? Who gave them this right? Then they appoint themselves as executioners. They certainly do not obey the laws of war in this regard; there is no chivalry there. Wounded people lying on the ground are finished off with an extra shot. It is an appalling situation. Another characteristic of these people is that they are totally lacking in imagination. They apparently cannot imagine the grief that will be caused to the families of these young people.
We were all so hopeful prior to the events of recent days. Only last week we celebrated the taking down of the bomb-proof shutters from the Ulster Hall so that it could be opened up as a place where people could listen to music and celebrate. I presume it will now be closed. Once again we are hearing phrases, such as “widespread condemnation”, we hoped never again to hear. I am sorry to say that those responsible for these attacks are completely indifferent to such condemnation. They are stupid people whose stupidity is shown by the fact that their actions are completely counterproductive. Why in every generation must ordinary, decent people, from both communities and on both sides of the Border, pay the price of the education of these moral imbeciles? They will eventually learn and will eventually say their actions were a mistake and were not worthwhile. In the meantime, however, decent people will have to pay for all the suffering they cause.

Senator Eoghan Harris: There is an element of posturing in some of the condemnation we have heard. The Real IRA and Continuity IRA will do this again. They will kill someone else the week after this and the following month. We will be standing around here hand wringing. While Senators Fitzgerald and MacSharry speak for me on the moral issue, we should move on because we have a moral obligation to take our responsibilities. The Chinese have a proverb that says you cannot stop the blackbirds of evil flying over your head but you can stop them making a nest in your hair. We cannot affect what happens in Northern Ireland by hand wringing and condemnation but we can affect the Republic.
We should have done more in peace time to mend community tensions. The reaction to the killings was not uniformly fast and condemnatory of a murderous attack on human beings. There was a 14-hour delay from Sinn Féin, which was caused politically by the SDLP taking a green position on the activation of the special reconnaissance unit. This drove Sinn Féin into taking a 100% green position on the 50% green position. The result was that Sinn Féin was paralysed politically in the aftermath of the killing at the weekend. That is neglecting the peace process on the part of Sinn Féin, the SDLP and ourselves for not pressurising them to mind the peace rather better. Dr. Johnson said that a man is to keep his friendships in good repair and we must keep the peace process in good repair. It was not kept in repair; we wiped our hands of it.
I ask Senators to stop posturing and to join with me in calling on the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to do what can be done. From a security point of view, we have major emergency powers legislation available. I will not mention the “i” word because Senators are already preparing their speeches about how we should not ratchet it up and we must not overreact. I expect to read an exclusive interview with the Real IRA next Sunday explaining it all away. I have been through all this in my lifetime, with the bleeding heart stuff and the apologias. To those who are preparing speeches about not ratcheting it up, we have a moral obligation to shut down the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA on this side of the Border. We can do so because we know their names. The police and security forces and the Garda Síochána know their names and there are only 100 of them. They use safe houses, they have friends and relations and we can shut them down. We can use emergency powers so that they cannot run from the North. That would at least free up the chief constable in Northern Ireland to look after the security situation there as best he can. This will be borne on the bodies of ordinary policemen, Catholic and Protestant, over the next months because they will die. Many more of them will die.
We must do two things, first of all by shutting down the security situation. I will not use the“i” word but I remind Members that internment never failed in the Irish Republic.

Senator David Norris: Senator Harris has used it now.

Senator Eoghan Harris: It worked in 1922, it worked in 1939 and it worked in 1956. It failed in Northern Ireland but never here. We should put it to Sinn Féin that in the upcoming by-elections, unless they stop using weasel words and unless they come out cleaner and faster in their condemnation, they will pay a political price in the Republic for their weasel words.

Senator David Norris: On a point of order, I do not believe for one second that anyone in this House was guilty of posturing and I ask Senator Harris to withdraw that suggestion.

An Cathaoirleach: A point of order must be on procedure. The Senator has already contributed.

Senator Eoghan Harris: I said there were bleeding hearts in this House who would try to stop the security measures I proposed.