Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. People are judged by actions, not mere words. Today is an action. I hope I can be forgiven for not getting carried away and being slightly reticent in not being overly optimistic for any radical solution in the short term. One only has to look at the history and the delay upon delay the House has suffered. In 1979, the outcome to a constitutional referendum permitted a significant extension of the franchise to third level graduates but there has been no progress 41 years lat…

-----was a wonderful gentleman and was missed during the general election as well to crunch the figures and predict individual constituencies. He is irreplaceable. We had so many others such as Katherine Zappone, John Crown, the brilliant Feargal Quinn, and let us not forget the role of the Attorneys General. With a week to go, I recall John Rogers being hauled out on the “Six One News”, and they played a pivotal part. I am also proud of the Green Party. Members are not privy to the parliamentary discussions of the…

The young people would not have a chance in that particular constituency.

They will have to buy many more. Perhaps a president of a university students' union could come through and steal one of the seats. It was brave in a way for those Senators-----

-----to permit and support the extension of the franchise. Perhaps the McDowell vote or the Mullen vote will peter out at a certain height and fall short of the quota - they were very selfless in pushing that through - or perhaps some gimmicky politicians could top the poll. That was a risk we took but it was in the better interests of democracy.

Well done to all involved. We are on their side, led by the Minister of State. I ask that people judge him by his actions as well as his words.

Senator Mullen does great work on that.

Spiritual life.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, to the Chamber. The Green Party is thrilled to have Senator Eileen Flynn as a Member of the Seanad. Today, she asked for dignity and respect for the Travelling community. That is a cry for dignity and respect and it is not too much to ask. As a child, I was privileged in that my late parents invited members of the Travelling community attending our local school to our first communion celebrations and birthday parties. Nothing struck me as unusual at the time. My only o…

I welcome the Minister to the House. His presence is a sign of how seriously this matter is being taken. It is a good day for the Upper House, Seanad Éireann, that we can come up with an initiative such as this, ventilate our views and have such a constructive, positive debate, shining a light on this in a way that might not always be open to the Lower House. It is fitting that we acknowledge the courageous efforts of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion, and it is only right that the House acknowledges the valiant d…

I remember canvassing in a general election of yesteryear and being challenged by an animated and exercised member of the electorate who said that the Green Party was not a Thirty-two County party. When I replied that we were and that we had councillors and MLAs in the North, I was told that we were not a "true" Thirty-two County party. I decided to tell him that he was right, because we were a global organisation. That is not where it ends. Come the counting of the votes, that person who challenged me and delayed …

I commend the Cathaoirleach and the Ceann Comhairle on moving so swiftly to invite the Government to consider extending an invitation to President-elect Biden to visit Ireland. They are clearly in tune with the Members of the two Houses and the people of Ireland. It is with sadness that I convey my sympathy to the people of Palestine, who have lost one of their most prominent politicians, Saeb Erekat. He was their chief negotiator for decades. He was a champion of dialogue and of Palestinian rights. He repeatedly v…

The year 1979 is such a long time ago. Some of us were not born and others will remember the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland. We had the horrific loss of life in Warrenpoint and Mullaghmore. On a less serious point, Monaghan won their first Ulster title in 41 years in 1979, and the Boomtown Rats were raging No. 1 in the charts with "I Don't Like Mondays". We really stand indicted today that we do not like reform. Where have we been since? Senator Norris is correct that we stand indicted as a democratic body -…

The past couple of days have demonstrated, if anyone needed reminding, how precious democracy is and how much it matters. Every vote counts. It is quite improper for any government to involve itself in another country's election, but as individuals who care about democracy and the free world, the last few days have been little short of incredible in our lifetime. It has also been a salutary lesson for President Trump that bullying does not pay and that the road of peddling fake news runs out and is a cul-de-sac. Hi…

My final point is that Mr. Biden should come to Mayo and Galway and that perhaps the Irish Government should consider, after all we have been through, inviting President Biden to address the Houses of the Oireachtas.

I do not wish to repeat the points that have already been made but a central acknowledgement is that An Garda Síochána has not issued, as has been said by the Minister of State, any closure or compliance order. On one level this vindicates the legislators who supported this two months ago and on another level we can say the Members of this House and the Lower House who opposed it, some in colourful terms, are not vindicated and were wrong. I do not see them as being wrong. People are never wrong when they are vigil…

I second the motion. I welcome the attendance and participation in this debate of my party colleague, the Minister of State, Senator Hackett. I thank Senator Garvey for moving the motion. In 1972, a young research assistant made a list of natural and semi-natural habitats in County Kildare with the objective of selecting habitats for preservation. That research assistant, Roger Goodwillie, who then worked for An Foras Forbartha, which is now the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, made a number of interestin…

When Covid first visited the isle in March, the heroic work and crucial role of doctors, nurses and so many more behind the scenes in hospitals became apparently and rapidly clear to us all, if we needed reminding. They are the heroes of the hour and continue to keep us all safe. They have been joined in recent weeks by new heroes, and it is not an exhaustive list. We should remember teachers and childcare workers on this poignant day when level 5 restrictions are introduced. They have kept the lights on in this co…

I will address a very serious issue. Next month, the United States of America elects its next President. I hope it will be a new President, with Joe Biden becoming the 46th holder of that office. It could not be a more serious time for the world. The outcome of that election will have serious long-term consequences for the Iran nuclear deal, for the Paris climate agreement, for the EU, for Brexit, for ethnic minorities and for respect for women. Many years ago, in the 1990 World Cup penalty shoot-out as Dave O'Lear…

Is it ungentlemanlylike?