Let us cut to the chase with the language of these amendments and get to the reality of what people are asking at home. The foreign fishing vessels in our waters are, by and large, not there illegally. We all know that. They are there under EU rules. If they were acting illegally, though, would this legislation actually stop them? Would we see real enforcement or more talking while Irish waters were left exposed? Fishers along our coast have heard it all before - promises of protection and action - but when push comes to shove, they are often left wondering who is minding the waters. We saw that starkly with the Russian vessel off our coast. The Government hesitated, delayed and dithered, and it was Irish fishers who stepped up, organised and forced the issue. Ordinary working people did what the State should have been prepared to do. I ask the Minister plainly. Will paragraph (a) of the motion mean that never happens again? Will the State act decisively the next time or will we again be relying on fishers to defend Irish sovereignty? Let us turn to the other side of this, which is where the real concern lies. We are giving powers here for the deployment of the Defence Forces in aid of the Garda and explicitly allowing the use of force described as reasonable, proportionate and necessary. Fine words, but people have heard that language before. Look at the fuel protests across the country. People came out because they could not afford to run their cars, heat their homes or keep their businesses going. Yes, there were blockades and disruption but those protests came from desperation among ordinary Irish people backed into a corner. What people fear is that measures like this could be used in future, not against external threats, but against our own citizens when they stand up and speak out. That is a line the public does not want crossed. I am asking the Minister for real clarity. Are these powers about stopping genuine threats in our waters, protecting sovereignty and ensuring we are not caught flat-footed again or are we quietly expanding the scope for force to be used domestically where Irish citizens could end up being on the receiving end? Once those powers are in place, they will be used. The public needs to know exactly where they stand.

Sentiment score: -0.07