On to-day's Order Paper, Deputy McGilligan asked the Minister for External Affairs to give his view and the view of the Government on a speech made by one of this country's representatives at the U.N.O. The full question was:—
"To ask the Minister for External Affairs if he has seen a report of a speech made by an Irish delegate at the U.N. urging that adequate standards of literacy be attained by Trust Territories before considering them for independence, cautioning against cutting a territory loose to shift for itself as a new nation before it is prepared to do so and, in using Ireland as an illustration, stating that the responsibilities of independence threatened the foundation of the new State."
The question further asked:
"...if this speech represents the policy of the Government towards Trust Territories and reflects the mind of the Government as to the ability of this country to endure the responsibilities of independence."
That question referred to a report which appeared in the Evening Press of 6th November, a report which is headed “Irish Appeal for Literacy at U.N.” It refers to the speech made by our delegate and then has a paragraph headed “Ireland.” The report referred to the trend towards independence for dependent areas, and said that the delegate cautioned against cutting a territory loose to shift for itself as a new nation. Then comes the paragraph headed “Ireland” in which it states that the delegate used Ireland as an illustration and said that the responsibilities of independence threatened the new State.
That report in the Evening Press seems to imply that our delegate, speaking abroad and representing this country, was using the type of argument used by the British in relation to this country prior to 1920, when they were prone to say that we could not govern ourselves, that we were not fit for self-Government and that if Ireland achieved its freedom, we would not be able to measure up to the task involved. In any event, the question on to-day's Order Paper was tabled by Deputy McGilligan, as he was fully entitled to do, and I should have expected that the Minister in reply would deal with the question in an orderly and responsible manner. Instead, the Minister read out a long prepared reply, a reply in which he took the opportunity of referring to live political issues in this country and giving a Party political slant to events which occurred here over the decade after we had achieved our freedom. The Minister at the end of his reply said:—
"However, as we successfully surmounted the efforts that were made to establish authoritarian régimes here, and as our Constitution is now generally accepted by all Parties in the Dáil, I feel confident that the democratic independence of the Twenty-Six Counties is reasonably assured and that we will ultimately extend that independence to the whole of Ireland."
I should like to know from the Minister why he said that. Who asked him for that view? I should like to know in what way does that sentiment bear any relation to the question tabled by Deputy McGilligan.