Former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald

I wish to dissociate myself from the ill-informed comments made in the Dáil yesterday by my Party colleague Deputy Varadkar, about the former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald. 

As I stated in the Seanad today, Dr. FitzGerald transformed Irish political culture, our economic thinking and the way we viewed our relations with Northern Ireland and Great Britain. 

It was under Garret FitzGerald’s Governments in the 80s that through a policy of fiscal rectitude, the public finances were stabilised after the reckless economic policies of the former Taoiseach Charles Haughey. That policy of fiscal rectitude ensured that the hyper-inflation rate of over 20% was reduced to around 3%, when Garret left office, laying the essential basis for recovery, economic growth and order in the public finances. 

Garret FitzGerald, through his constitutional crusade, transformed North South relations and the relationship of this country with Britain, which eventually saw the claim on Northern Ireland reversed in the Good Friday Agreement. The introduction of reciprocity in voting rights for British citizens living in Ireland was especially important in transforming the relationship between Ireland and Great Britain.

This constitutional crusade also eventually led to the introduction of divorce in Ireland. 

Dr. FitzGerald was to the forefront in establishing Irish membership of the European Union and as the first Irish President of the ‘European Council’ enhanced immeasurably the stature of this country in the early days of EU membership. 

Garret FitzGerald was not only an exceptional person after he left politics, as some Senators suggested today, he was an exceptional leader and Taoiseach of this country.       

Time for a Debate on ‘Lost at Sea’ report

Yesterday in the Seanad, I raised the issue of having a debate in the House about the Lost at Sea Scheme. A week ago, there were statements in the Seanad and the Dail on the report of the Ombudsman, Ms Emily O’Reilly, on the Lost at Sea scheme.  It appears that the former Minister who designed the scheme claims to have been vindicated by the report.

However, the report was vetoed by the Government and there was no meaningful debate on it. Having a debate on this issue is very important because it is a serious safeguard for democracy. We have the Oireachtas, a courts system, a free press and an Ombudsman. These are very important safeguards. The Government has sidestepped this issue and has shown total disrespect to the Ombudsman.

Former Senator Mr Maurice Hayes wrote recently in the national media that the office of the Ombudsman had been established by the Oireachtas and the least we could do was to respect the office and the integrity of the officeholder.

By not having a proper debate and by not giving proper consideration to the recommendations of the Ombudsman, we have not respected the office. Senator Dan Boyle has stated that the Ombudsman should be respected in her request to have the matter referred to an Oireachtas committee, and that has been supported by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley.

Surely this matter can be referred to an Oireachtas committee. There is a constitutional issue here and the Joint Committee on the Constitution might just be the committee to have this referred on to.

Failure to have a proper discussion about the Lost at Sea scheme report and its findings is a serious affront to democracy.

Green Party Cronyism

We have been concerned in the past week about a rift in Government between the Green Party and Fianna Fáil. Now we appear to have a rift within the Green Party regarding the rotation of cabinet posts.

We should understand this for what it is, however, because it is the worst form of cronyism.  It is not about party or country.  It is about individual jobs for the boys. 

We had the Green Party preach about cronyism before the last election.  Since that election we have had appointments of Green Party candidates to FÁS, the National Disability Authority, the Organic Food Agency, the Library Council, the Irish Film Classification Office and the Private Residential Tenancies Board. 

We also had the spectacle of a Senator who rejected the Green Party because she failed to get appointed to the cabinet of the European Commission an independent office.    

The Greens promised to clean up cronyism.  Does they not how appreciate how this hypocritical action on their part is damaging politics? 

Urgent need for debate on NAMA and the Banks

Yesterday in the Seanad I asked why we are being given the runaround with regard to a debate on the banks and NAMA. The only logical explanation is that the Government is at sea on the banks and totally confused with results such as those posted by AIB yesterday.

The implications for the Government of the corrections to the NAMA scheme in the final approval being given by the Commission may not yet have been fully assessed.

At the same time, I do not consider it acceptable because last year the Leader promised that we would be regularly updated on NAMA. For two weeks in succession, he has promised the House a debate on the banks and NAMA.

We are a year and a half into the banking crisis, credit is still not flowing, no one is responsible for what has happened and no one has been held responsible. It can be seen in the AIB results that between bond buybacks, the selling of assets, the transferring of toxic loans to NAMA, the rights issue and the divesting of assets, that it will be another 18 months before all of this is done and dusted and credit flows.

It would be very useful to have a debate on the banks as well as some clarity on the part of the Government as to where we go from here.