Order of Business - 22nd October 2009

Order of Business - 22nd October 2009
Senator David Norris: It took the leader of Fine Gael four and a half hours to extract a weak vote of support at an unusual meeting of his party members yesterday. Apparently, however, he was supported uncritically and enthusiastically by the leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad, Senator Fitzgerald, as well as Senators Twomey and Donohoe. As two of these Members have served previously in the other House-----

An Cathaoirleach: The Senator should ask a question of the Leader on the Order of Business.

Senator David Norris: -----and the other one wants to get into it, they are not really determined to be in this House. In the circumstances, as this proposal was made in the context of an economy measure, is it appropriate that they should continue to serve in this House? Should they honourably surrender their salaries to all the projects they suggested were being cut back because of the existence of this House?
I wish to raise the case heard in Mullingar last week in which a youth of 19 years was sentenced for having consensual sexual relations with a girl aged 16 and three quarters. She was 90 days under the limit and it was accepted that he believed the limit was 16 years. The parents were upset-----

An Cathaoirleach: Has this case finished in the courts?

Senator David Norris: The case is finished.

Senator Alex White: No, it is not.

An Cathaoirleach: It is under appeal.

Senator David Norris: The man has been sentenced-----

An Cathaoirleach: Because if the case is before the courts-----

Senator David Norris: -----and the case has been commented upon in The Irish Times in a clear way.

An Cathaoirleach: -----it may well be under appeal.

Senator David Norris: I wish to raise the fact that the Director of Public Prosecutions gave evidence-----

An Cathaoirleach: Please, Senator, he is an independent officer.

Senator David Norris: -----to a committee of the Oireachtas that in such circumstances there had been no prosecutions and that there would be no prosecutions. That is the reason I call it the Romeo and Juliet syndrome. The matter must be investigated because this issue was discussed in the House and I warned this might happen. 11 o’clock
I wish to raise the sentencing yesterday in an Israeli court of Ezra Nawi, an Israeli citizen with whom I had a long relationship and whom I still value. He was sentenced in a manner that was very close to the Denning judgment. He was engaged in a non-violent protest against the illegal demolition of the hovels of some Palestinian subsistence farmers. The film evidence, the only evidence available, shows clearly that this was the case. Previously, there had been attempts by the Israeli Government to have him sentenced on the basis of perjured evidence of soldiers and police, but these were thrown out by a succession of judges. It has now got its way. We should have a debate on the situation in the Middle East. What is really worrying is that Israel, which calls itself a democracy and is always labelled the only democracy in the Middle East, has included conditions in the sentence.

An Cathaoirleach: The Senator’s time is up. I call Senator Ó Murchú.

Senator David Norris: He is sentenced to one month in prison but if he takes part in any protest in the next three years, peaceful or otherwise, he will immediately go to jail for six months.

An Cathaoirleach: Thank you, Senator. I call Senator Ó Murchú.

Senator David Norris: That tells the story of democracy in Israel today.