Buttimer calls on O’Keeffe to come clean on which Cork projects will get the go ahead
Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer has today (Thursday) called on Minister Batt O’Keeffe to come clean on which infrastructure projects in Cork, which were not mentioned in the Government’s capital spending plan launched last Monday but which the Minister said funding will be made available for, are to get the green light.
Posted under Communications, Cork, Cork City, Infastructure, National Work
Fine Gael National Press Office
Press Statement by Senator Jerry Buttimer
Seanad Spokesperson on Community
Tuesday, 25th May 2010
New Leinster House ‘Twitter’ rules will help keep remote constituents informed – Buttimer
Speaking about the new rules which will allow TDs and Senators to use their phones in the Dáil and Seanad chambers to text, tweet and email, Fine Gael Senator and regular Twitter user Jerry Buttimer said:
“The announcement at the weekend that we will, from now on, be permitted to text, tweet and email from within the Oireachtas chambers is fantastic news as it will open up a valuable communication line for public representatives who wish to keep their constituents up to speed on what’s going on in Parliament. It will particularly useful for Deputies and Senators from outside Dublin who are away from their constituencies for half the week.
“It will also go a considerable distance to bursting the myth of the Leinster House bubble and will offer the wider public a chance to find out instantaneously what is going on regarding legislation, policy formation and debates in the Dáil, Seanad and Oireachtas Committees.
“This progressive move will have two-way benefits as constituents will be facilitated with getting ideas and comments on a certain subject to their local representative who maybe debating at that time. This will allow a wide range of views to be heard which may not otherwise have been given space.
“New technology is endless in its ability to put information at our fingertips. By modernising protocols within Leinster House we are now allowing constituents increased access to the people who represent them in parliament.”
Posted under Carrigaline, Communications, Cork City, Douglas, Issues, South Central, South East, South West, Uncategorized
It is a pity Senator Boyle is in government and not sitting on this side of the House because I concur with much of what he said. I am glad we found common ground on that.
With Senator Norris, and with respect to the Minister who has left the Chamber, I believe this debate is a filibuster by a Government that has little to boast about or bring forward to this House. It is unfortunate that we are debating it in that context. Nonetheless, the debate is timely. It comes at a time when we, as a society, are at a crossroads. We are a more pluralist, multi-ethnic society as against the old conservative, Catholic country in which we all grew up. We have a choice regarding our outlook. Do we become liberal or remain conservative? That is the choice we must make. The same applies to our broadcasting but, as many speakers said, balance in broadcasting is what we must strive for in a tolerant, modern country.
If the Minister of State wishes, we could have a debate on that as well. It is important that we have a good laugh at ourselves at times. I appreciate that the item on the programme to which Senators Ó Murchú and O’Reilly referred, “The Late Late Show”, on which Tommy Tiernan appeared, was insensitive and wrong. Equally, what happened at the BBC was wrong, but we go overboard at times in our attempt to be politically correct. As someone who likes a good laugh every now and again, I believe it is important that we do that but in a way that is tolerant and sensitive to the views of all people.
I want to refer to the coverage of sport on television. We are fortunate in this country to have a very good sports broadcasting unit in RTE and TV3. It is important to pay tribute to people like Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Ger Canning and Marty Morrissey, who are excellent commentators and who do not degrade players, but there are some analysts who do that.
One of my bugbears is the new level of political commentator, the expert on the ditch, who comes into a studio and gives his tuppence worth about everything from A to Z in politics. I have one person in mind but I will not name him because I do not want to give him credit. He is against everything Fine Gael stands for. Then there are the people who write columns in newspapers who are now shaping opinion. They have become the new professors of life. There are people writing columns in the Sunday Independent who believe they are God’s gift to humanity and who try to shape public opinion on everythin
Posted under Communications
