Order of Business - 27th February 2009

Order of Business - 27th February 2009
Senator David Norris: Following on from the previous speaker, I am a big advocate of polls. We ought to pay attention to them.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach: We are not discussing opinion polls this morning.

Senator David Norris: I have a question for the Leader. When will the Government get off its backside and do something about the domestic partnership Bill in the light of the poll in today’s The Irish Times conducted by Lansdowne Market Research which shows that despite the gutlessness of this Administration——

Senator Jim Walsh: Who conducted the poll?

Senator David Norris: ——62% of the people would vote in a referendum in favour of full civil marriage for gay people——

Senator Jim Walsh: Who conducted the poll?

Senator David Norris: ——despite the backward people on the Government side of the House?

An Leas-Chathaoirleach: The Senator should speak through the Chair. Does he have a question for the Leader?

Senator David Norris: I am speaking through the Chair but I am waving to the other side. The feminine side of my brain allows me to multi-task.
I refer to the debate on the economy. I am very happy to accept Senator Alex White’s excellent suggestion on the way this debate should be taken. It is remarkable that the Government voted against having a debate on the economy even though it takes up most of the time each day. I am not confined in terms of the way it should happen but we need to be able to answer people like this lad, Donal Casey, writing in today’s The Irish Times who, as the former chief executive of corporate business in Irish Life——

Senator Donie Cassidy: On a point of order, there is a precedent in this House that Members may not read from newspapers.

Senator David Norris: I am quoting from the newspaper, and I insist on doing so. The Leader is quite wrong.

Senator Alex White: On a genuine point of order, because the Leader has raised this point on a number of occasions, there is a provision that Members may not physically read a newspaper in the House but the suggestion that one cannot read a newspaper before one comes in and quote from it is absurd.

Senator Donie Cassidy: That is not the point of order I was making.

Senator David Norris: It is. I will tell Senator Cassidy the point of order since he does not know it——

Senator Donie Cassidy: The point of order I was making is that one may not physically read a newspaper in this House, irrespective of who one is.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach: The Senator can quote from an article in the House and identify the source.

Senator David Norris: I am quoting from an article by Donal Casey in today’s The Irish Times. He said we have a defective gene in our national DNA and the painful truth is that we have all given tacit permission for the behaviour at the heart of our banking crisis. We have not. I did not nor did the vast majority of people in this House. We were strongly critical all the time. How dare he say that. He went on to say we should——

An Leas-Chathaoirleach: We are on the Order of Business. Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

Senator David Norris: When will we debate these issues and give a reply to people who say, for example, that we must apologise to the European Union for voting against the Lisbon treaty?
When will we hold the Government, which has poured at €7 billion into Anglo Irish Bank, accountable? Now it is considering flogging part of it off to some Australian crowd called abrekebabra or something like that. It will make money out of it but what about the Irish taxpayers? When will they reap some benefits out of the money poured into the bank?
When will we discuss the fact that business in this city and in this country is spancelled because rent reviews are only allowed upwards? People are going out of business every day because unaffordable rents are being charged. I will call for a debate on the economy every day because we will get into another situation like we did with Eircom. It was flogged off to Tony O’Reilly, Lord O’Reilly or whatever he calls himself. Lord Kilclooney, writing in The Irish Times, said we ought to rejoin sterling. The cheek of him. The UK ought to be kicked out of the European Union for going on its own and devaluing its currency to our disadvantage.