asked the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures if he will state why the Censor permitted the extensive publication in this country and abroad of a speech by Deputy Dillon advocating in effect a declaration of war by this country on certain States engaged in the present world conflict; whether he will state if freedom to publish opinions and declarations of this character was accorded to the Deputy in question because of his membership of the Defence Advisory Conference, and whether it is the policy of the Government to grant to all Deputies and Senators facilities to advocate the participation by this country in the present war, irrespective of the side on which the advocates favour intervention.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Censorship and Deputy's Speech.
The powers of censorship were given to the Government for the purpose of securing the public safety and the preservation of the State during the present emergency. It is my duty as the Minister responsible for censorship to decide, after taking all the surrounding circumstances into account, as to whether these purposes are best served by permitting or suppressing the publication of any particular matter or classes of matter.
In the particular case referred to in the Deputy's question I decided to permit publication for the following combination of reasons:—
(1) That with the powers which we then possessed we could not have effectively stopped the export of the speech for publication abroad; (2) That the speech was a premeditated and deliberate statement of policy on an important occasion by a Deputy who was the Deputy Leader of the Second biggest Party in the State; (3) That copies of his speech might have been exported beforehand by the agents of foreign newspapers and others for use for their own purposes; (4) That it would have been represented abroad that we were afraid to let our own people know the views expressed by the speaker.
Will the Minister say why, on a pretence of preserving the State, he refuses to allow Irish farmers to agitate through the Press for an increased price for Irish wheat, why he prevents members of this House from securing publication for constitutional advice to trade unions in respect of the Trade Union Act, 1941——
Those are separate questions, one of them being of wide import.
——and why, bearing these facts in mind, he permits the Deputy Leader of the main Opposition Party openly to advocate a declaration of war on certain States with which this country at present has friendly relations? How can the Minister reconcile that kind of partiality and bias with his powers as censor?
The Ceann Comhairle has already ruled that two of the Deputy's supplementaries are separate questions. If he will submit those questions in the ordinary way, I will answer them.
Are we to take it that every other Deputy, every citizen of the State for that matter, is entitled to exercise the same rights as Deputy Dillon, with the Minister's permission, was permitted to exercise in this case?
Can anybody now advocate intervention in this war with the same freedom, the same impunity and the same Ministerial benediction as was given in Deputy Dillon's case?
The Deputy should not deduce that from my answer.