Fine Gael justice spokesman protests as Callely returns

SEANAD REPORT:THE REAPPEARANCE of Ivor Callely (FF) in the chamber was followed by sharp exchanges between Cathaoirleach Pat Moylan and Eugene Regan (FG).

Told that he was not in order in referring to Mr Callely’s presence, the Fine Gael justice spokesman responded that he had done so because there was an important issue involved. The House had investigated the matter and had passed a report.

Intervening, the Cathaoirleach said the courts had not yet pronounced on the case that had been taken by Mr Callely. His period of suspension from the service of the Seanad had expired and he was entitled to be in the House.

Mr Regan protested, saying the question he wished to put to the leader of the Seanad did not relate to the principle the court had been asked to consider. Instead, it concerned Mr Callely’s entitlement to be in the House at that particular time. “The reality is there was a ruling that he was misrepresenting his normal place of residence. Has he ceased to do that?”

When Mr Moylan repeated his earlier admonition, Mr Regan said he had to respectfully disagree.

Told, once again, by Mr Moylan that the suspension term had expired, Mr Regan rejoined: “No, as long as the irregularity continues the term continues, of suspension. That is the law.” Terry Leyden (FF) welcomed his former party colleague back.

Mr Callely said a report in yesterday's edition of The Irish Timeswas of significant interest to him and to the House. It had stated that in the view of a former attorney general, the Oireachtas should be very cautious in carrying out inquiries that could have an impact on citizens' reputations. When the Oireachtas committee on the Constitution had completed its deliberations, he hoped that time would be made available for a discussion on the issue raised in The Irish Times report.

Decrying what he regarded as the failure of the Government to be honest and frank with the Irish people about our economic woes, Dominic Hannigan (Lab) said he had passed through St Stephen’s Green on his way to the House yesterday. “I looked down and I saw a duck coming towards me. The reason I knew it was a duck was because it looked like one, it quacked like one and it walked like one. Let’s be clear: this is a bailout coming, and it took someone like Patrick Honohan to tell us that, this morning . . . Tell us the truth and we can move on.”

David Norris (Ind) said a survey of attitudes in rural Ireland had shown that 90 per cent of people regarded good neighbours as being most important. With the latest turn of events over the economic turmoil forced on us by international bondholders, he wondered where were our good European neighbours. “It’s as if we’ve been burgled and the neighbours are coming in to help . . . and they say, ‘I lent you those curtains five years ago, can I have them back? That’s my lawnmower. Oh, that’s the chair my granny gave me.’ That’s what’s happening. Let’s have a stop to it.”

Ronan Mullen (Ind) said it should not have been the case that the governor of the Central Bank was the one to “let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, when politicians won’t speak straight about the situation that we’re in”.

Mr Mullen said if there had to be a bailout, we did not have to see this as a moment of national humiliation. “We certainly have to have the humility to learn from our mistakes . . . I believe that we have had too much cronyism within government. I believe that there has been a certain collusion between government and the media, and nobody was in a position to seriously scrutinise what was going on in recent years.”