I, too, am glad to speak on this issue. It is timely that we have a debate on it. As we know, the migration pact has been signed and there was no debate. For the last five years, certainly over the last three years since the war broke out in Ukraine, and with the other issues all over the world, we could not have a debate here. I stood up at meeting after meeting of the Business Committee for a year and a half. We finally got a debate. The Government did not even have to come in. The Minister came in to introduce it, but the parties of the left attacked me, my colleagues and anybody who wanted to debate this. We could not do it. The debate was shut down, the same as it is in the media, with Gaza and everything else; they own it. I heard someone mention people who marched for Gaza and they could not do something else, so they have control now over what they want to do. We could not speak about it; it was hear no evil, see no evil and there is no evil. All I wanted was a reasonable, calm debate without being dog-whistled at, jeered, humiliated or God knows what else. They tried to humiliate me - I was not. I was just saying that we have to cut our cloth according to our measure. We can take so many. We are known for the Ireland of the welcomes but we cannot have a walkover. I warmly welcome the change in the integration Department through the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, his immediate and ongoing work, and the proposals I understand he brought to the Cabinet today to try to have some common sense brought in. Anybody who is here, has gone through the system and has failed should not be here, full stop. One of the NGOs - it could be the Irish Refugee Council but I could be wrong - well paid with taxpayers' money is contesting, supporting and going to the High Court with persons, God help us, who have failed all the tests and are being deported. There is something badly wrong in the State of Ireland when these Government-funded and taxpayer-funded NGOs are going against the Government and the people. These people have gone through the system, got a fair trial and everything else. Then they take court cases. It is time we copped on here and turned the tap off on these NGOs which are bleeding the taxpayer dry. Any time I turn on RTÉ there is one or other of them on and they are supported here by the left cabal. They are not in government and probably will not be in government but they want to control everything else and control what I say and when I speak for the people I represent in Tipperary. I will represent my people fearlessly while they give me a mandate to be in here. I will be as welcoming as anybody else. I had people up here last week from Bridgewater House in Carrick - a wonderful group of people are doing great work there. They are from several different countries all over the world. Of course, I am not a racist, a bigot or anything else. Fair play is fine play with me, and I support the Government. This debate has a long way to go, so I have an open mind on it. We should take the funding but we cannot give up our sovereignty. It is important that we have a debate and that we are allowed to have a debate and are not shouted down. It has changed now with all the mood noises but the left of course does not like it. It wants to be running the country while shouting from the Opposition.

Sentiment score: 0.04