Senator Gerard P Craughwell - speech from 20 Mar 2020

Go raibh maagat, Laatse Goeheerlech. Minister, I don't think any of us thought that we'd be here today talking on this particular subject. I want to start and preface everything I say by congratulating the Taoiseach, the Tanaiste, yourself, the head of the HSE, the Gardaí, the Defence Forces and those responsible citizens that we have in the country. Sadly, not all of our citizens are responsible. On Saturday night, I tweeted an image of Temple Bar to the Taoiseach and rapid action was taken and this shows tremendous leadership. I'm a bit tired of the keyboard warriors who continually attack the government. The government has shown that at a time of need and great need in this country, they can stand up to the plate and they can deliver the sort of leadership that's required. I want to congratulate you and your fellow cabinet members for what you have done. Minister, I am deeply concerned by some news that has arrived with me this morning. That is the backdoor pubs that are opening around the country. Public houses have been told to shut but I understand that there are now some of them that are running the old backdoor system that you can go in and we'll all sit there quietly drinking. I wonder if these clowns think for one moment. Have they watched for one second what we're seeing coming from Italy? Do they think for one moment that they are in some way immune from it? I think it is absolutely despicable. I also see advertisements by people who provide personal services such as hairdressing and the like that they'll space out appointments so that you don't have to sit in a room with other people. Nothing at all about the equipment that will be used, nothing at all about the seats that will be used. We are in a crisis and I think people have to realise we are at war and the enemy is not an enemy we are used to and not an enemy we have ever seen before. And this brings me on to another international issue, Minister. And that is that what's going on today is a war against humanity, not just against the people of Ireland or the people of the United States or wherever. And I am asking today, Minister, on the floor of this House that this government brings to the European Union and to the United Nations the plight of those countries that are currently subjected to sanctions as a result of political differences around the world. Countries like Russia, countries like Iran and various other countries around the world that are suffering from sanctions, who cannot draw down their own resources to buy the vital equipment that we ourselves need, such as ventilators and protective clothing for their nursing staff. I am asking today that sanctions be lifted for the duration of this and I appreciate that falls outside the remiss of this country. But this is a war against humanity, all of us. And by fixing it in one particular corner of the world or another particular corner of the world and allowing it to run rampant in some countries is not serving humanity in any way. So I am asking that we put before the United Nations, before the World Health Organization, the need to lift whatever sanctions are currently impeding the purchase of vital equipment for the saving of human life, that those sanctions be lifted immediately. And if that requires some sort of supervision to ensure that the equipment gets to the right people in the right places, then let's do that. Because the sort of leadership this country is showing needs to be shown right across the modern world. The sort of leadership that's been shown by yourself, the Taoiseach and others, needs to be shown across the world. The other thing that I've seen, I'll finish in two seconds, the other thing I've seen yesterday, I went to do some grocery shopping, something I didn't want to do. And I had two experiences. The first was I went to one of the designated supermarkets at around about 9.30 in the morning and it was swamped with people. I said, I'm not going in there. I went to an Aldi supermarket yesterday, shortly after that. And it was the most surreal experience I ever had in my life. First and foremost, people were spaced out as you were walking down aisles. For the first time ever in my life, I saw people drift away from me. The message is getting out there, Minister, and that's down to you and your colleagues. I would ask that we start to remind people on a more frequent basis, we need to keep our distance. The closer we get, the further away we should be. Thank you, Minister, and thank you.