It was suggested yesterday here, when I was unfortunately absent, that I had in some way committed an abuse of the processes of the House by tabling a motion and not proceeding with it, although a particular hour had been fixed for its discussion. I should like to explain that I had every intention of proceeding with the motion and that I only refrained from doing so, much against my own inclination, because of eleventh hour representations by certain Senators who sympathised with it in substance, but believed it would lead to undesirable statements being made and because of inquiries of my own afterwards which tended to show that these apprehensions were well-founded. No inconvenience was caused to the Taoiseach as he was informed of the situation before the end of his ordinary office hours.
I am sorry if any inconvenience was caused to the Seanad, but the arrangement of the hour for the discussion of the motion had not been made to suit me, but to suit others, and had, in fact, come upon me as a surprise when I heard of it yesterday afternoon. I wish to add that I dissent from the view that there is anything improper in tabling motions, even when there is no definite intention to proceed with them. I believe it to be an established practice in democratic assemblies to use the formulation of motions as a method of crystallising opinion on matters of importance, but I repeat that I had every intention of proceeding with this motion, that it was inspired by a genuine and intense anxiety about the country's defences, and that I may still proceed with it at some future date.
