Order of Business - 24th June 2008

Order of Business - 24th June 2008
Senator David Norris: Last Thursday, with the permission of the Cathaoirleach, I raised the question of a person whose human rights were seriously violated with the collaboration of official agencies here. I did so at his request and followed the etiquette of the House by not putting his name on the record. He has since attempted to get this case taken up by our courageous journalists, financial and otherwise. However, not a single one has taken it up with the exception of our own Jimmy Walsh who, as usual, was splendid in the matter.
I wish now to say to those investigative journalists, "Let them start investigating" and I will tell them and the House on the record his name is Mr. Frank Mulcahy and he was the head of the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association, ISME-----
An Cathaoirleach: I do not want any person named, please.
Senator David Norris: I do it at his request.
An Cathaoirleach: The Senator is out of order in naming people who are not present in the House and I do not want it to continue. I have made this clear on numerous occasions and if Senators are going to persist with this I will not call them on the Order of Business.
Senator David Norris: I understand the Cathaoirleach's feelings, but I am sure he will understand mine where a man cannot get justice because of the gutlessness of the media and it uses this as an excuse. I have now removed that excuse from them with the permission of the person involved.
I wish to raise the question of rendition, which emerged in Amnesty International's report. I am asking for a discussion on this matter and an end to the characteristic, continuing and deliberate dishonesty by the Department of Foreign Affairs. It has been made clear that on three instances, which I and others have put on the record in this House on numerous occasions, planes involved in an unbroken rendition circuit used Shannon Airport with the complicity of our authorities. It is like somebody who is asked, "Why did you poison your wife?" and the answer given is, "I never took a hatchet to her in my life". It is deliberately answering the wrong question in order to obfuscate. Let us stop it, because that kind of hoodwinking of the public is exactly what happened when the vote on Lisbon treaty was lost. The truth would not be told and Mr. Sarkozy is still at it. I understand he is coming here. I hope he gets a robust response here and I hope somebody tells him that we have had enough Marie Antoinettery about the place-----
An Cathaoirleach: The Senator should stick to the Order of Business.
Senator David Norris: -----from Austro-Hungarians. He might well end up with his head in a bucket underneath the tumbrel if he goes on saying that the Irish people fed their faces with their money for long enough-----
An Cathaoirleach: We are on the Order of Business, please. I will call the next speaker.
Senator David Norris: -----and then drop them in what is characteristic and diplomatically called the merde.
All Senators received the circular about the amount of correspondence and so on we receive. The material in my hands is what I got in terms of reports and the same in terms of letters. Why are we getting so much rubbish? Why do we not do something if we are worried about the environment? This volume of material is not going to help.