Mary O'Rourke TD: What could possibly be wrong with hunting

From a speech by then TD, Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail, Longford Westmeath): I am glad to have the opportunity to speak and I thank Deputies Durkan and Sherlock for providing me with this time. I have participated in four coalition Governments, and many others in this Chamber have done so as well. When a party goes into a coalition, it signs up to a programme for Government and it sticks with it because that is its signature on the document. I remember being with the Labour Party in Government and I worked well with Deputy Quinn when he was Minister. There is give and take when a party is in a coaltion, and there is no point in saying otherwise. We have all been receiving e-mails from RISE!, or Rural Ireland Says Enough!. I am here today because I come from a part of Ireland which fishes, hunts and shoots. I came with a mandate from there and they want me to say today that they understand if we signed up to a document, but that they will not entertain — nor will I nor will Fianna Fáil — any further inroads into rural pursuits. We will not entertain it and we will not have it. I want to know exactly what could possibly be wrong with fishing, hunting or with the gun clubs whose members have approached me. They go about their normal pursuits as well. While we recognise that we must stick with the programme for Government if we signed up to it, I do not know if there is any way the Minister can assuage those of us in the backbenches who do not believe that if he gets this under his belt he will be free to roam again among the hedgregrows, the fishing loughs and the streams where harmless pursuits are carried out. We believe in those harmless pursuits — as well as other pursuits which might not be as harmless — and the Minister will have to give a guarantee on the floor of the House that this Bill and the Bill to be taken next week — which he inherited from the former Minister, Deputy Dick Roche — will be the end of his ramblings in rural Ireland. Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) 29 June 2010 Read the full speeches at http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.i... Find out the views of other Irish TDs at http://www.banbloodsports.com/views.htm Read "Irish Politicians and Animal Issues" at http://www.scribd.com/doc/153376674/I... On election day, please choose compassionate candidates.