Before the debate was adjourned I was discussing with some Members across the House statements about four-seat constituencies. We had Deputy Treacy who was very critical of the four-seat constituencies here in Dublin. There was a Labour Convention in Ennis last Sunday and the members there instructed their delegates to have an amendment moved here in the House that the constituency would be made a four-seater. They cannot be shouting for four-seaters in one place and not have them in another. It seems that the Opposition generally seem to shout "gerrymandering" without looking at the position one way or another. Many of them have not yet spoken; those who have are contradicting each other.
I would like to refer to my own county of Cork. At column 1266 of the Official Report of 27th November, 1968, Deputy Treacy said:
"A large portion of North Cork has been detached and is now being added to Mid-Cork. This proposal, too, is quite unnecessary and is designed solely on a selfish political basis to try and weaken Fine Gael and Labour in these two constituencies."
On the very same day, 27th November, 1968, at column 1276 we have Deputy Barrett, a Fine Gael Deputy from Cork saying:
"On the last occasion the constituencies were carved up—and plainly in a spirit of gerrymandering which had no regard whatsoever for a portion of the constituency which, whilst it was then in the county, always looked upon itself as part of Cork City constituency—the Minister and his Party proceeded to carve up the areas of Blackrock and Douglas in such a way that an area of the city, within a quarter of a mile of the City Hall, was shifted into a constituency which sprawled itself away down through County Cork and on to the borders of County Kerry."
You have Deputy Treacy stating that there is no need to change the constituency and Deputy Barrett stating there was no need to have Blackrock and Douglas added to the Mid-Cork constituency. Deputy Barrett was speaking about 1961. They are contradicting each other. When one comes to Blackrock and Douglas in 1961 it is well to remember that they were part of County Cork and that they were electing members to the Cork County Council. They were not in the city then. However, since then they have been taken into Cork city and they are now electing members of the corporation. It is only right that Blackrock and Douglas should form part of Cork city constituency or constituencies as the case may be.
We have the usual remarks here from people like Deputy Barrett who always bring it up one way or another about "sprawling itself away down to the borders of County Kerry". One would think that we people who live on the borders of County Kerry have a malignant disease and should be avoided.
Deputy Barrett also states at column 1277 of the Official Report of 27th November, 1968:
"They are fully aware that the Minister and his Party will have the most cynical disregard for their rights if their rights clash with the interests of the Fianna Fáil Party, because the reason Blackrock and Douglas were pushed out of Mid-Cork was because they were very notably Fine Gael in their sympathies and that disturbed the balance of Fianna Fáil's power in Cork City".
I would like to refer Deputy Barrett back to the general election of 1965. when Fine Gael had a candidate in the field from the Blackrock/Douglas area. In that election the quota was 8,000 odd and over 40,000 voters cast their votes. The Fine Gael candidate from that area polled 789 votes. This is the area which is supposed to be predominantly Fine Gael. Our candidates in the same area got close on 3,000 first preference votes. This is an inaccuracy which I would like to be put on record. Again, we were speaking about statements being accurate and I would like to go back to column 1276 of 27th November, 1968. Deputy Barrett said as regards the people of Blackrock and Douglas:
"If they wanted to find a TD they had to hie themselves off to the country, the nearest TD being at Bandon or in Macroom."
I think it is very unbecoming of Deputy Barrett or anybody else to cast a slur on a Deputy who lives close to me and is my good friend, Mrs. Eileen Desmond. It is bad form that she should be deliberately omitted. After all, she was elected as a Member of the Dáil in the general election of 1965. She headed the poll at that time. It is very strange that we have here a man who is regarded as a leading Fine Gael personality in a city of 120,000 population and that he does not know a Labour Deputy who resides within seven or eight miles of his home. He would probably go astray there. If he is in any difficulty I will be glad to show him around the area.
This morning we heard Deputy Burton and Deputy Collins, who spoke about mid-Cork. Deputy Collins was bemoaning the fact that the Béara peninsula was going in with County Kerry and was being halved. Everybody knew that County Kerry in itself had not enough population to maintain six Deputies and that, if they are to maintain six Deputies, population would have to be added from some other area. Senator FitzGerald said:
I would suggest adding the districts of Knocknagree, Cullen, Doonasheen, Derragh, Caherbarnagh and Coomlogan.
That was a different part of Cork but, on Senator FitzGerald's suggestion, we would actually have a parish halved. The Minister would be accused of gerrymandering if he did that in order to get three seats in South Kerry. It was obvious they were going to say he was gerrymandering for one reason or another.
As regards the area of mid-Cork I think it is properly described as a truly rural area. I am very glad it is a truly rural area. I hope I will be able to represent those people after the next general election. It is strange that when I went to West and South West Cork many people welcomed me though many of them were of a different political viewpoint. They stressed the importance of having their Deputy living in the constituency. They were not used to it because of the Fine Gael Deputy who had represented them for years. I should like to emphasise that it is only right that when a TD is elected he should live within his area as much as possible.
Deputy Seán Collins announced to all and sundry that he would be reelected in the next general election, that we in Fianna Fáil would not put him out. The only danger there lies within his own Party: there are a few young colts there fretting at the reins and he may have a problem keeping them down. However, that is his business, not ours.
From what Deputy James Tully said it appears that the Labour Party would like to see general elections occur on Sundays. I thoroughly disagree. Irish people generally, regardless of their religious persuasion, have always held that Sunday should be a free day, away from work or any political activity as regards polling, et cetera. Long may it remain that way. There was talk by the Opposition to the effect that it is the plain people of Ireland who will decide the next general election and that it was they who defeated the referendum—the ordinary man and woman. Do we not all know that Fine Gael represent the upper class, the conservative element, in the urban areas and that they have their eyes set on the 400 acre farms in the rural areas? Do we not also know that when there was a Coalition Government Labour, strange to say, came in and backed Fine Gael and that the ordinary man and woman got very little by way of social service improvement from the Labour Party who rowed in with the conservative Party?
I should like to say a few words in conclusion about Deputy Fitzpatrick's suggestion that this Bill should be known as a "Bolander." Deputy Boland is the Minister whose duty it was to introduce this Bill. He brought it in, he was qualified to bring it in. This Minister has true Republican blood in his veins—those who came before him were of that outlook. All I can say is that I wish him many years of success in a Fianna Fáil Cabinet. The Opposition have said it may not be long before there is a general election. The day may not be far away but we will meet them and beat them.