The industrial worker showed, in what I can only describe as a vote of no confidence, that he wanted this particular Government out. The Government's reply to this was this speedy attempt to bring the lash down on the back of the industrial worker. This is the answer that Fianna Fáil and their cohorts are giving to the industrial worker in the city of Dublin and other parts of the country. I beg the Minister, at this stage, to agree to my suggestion of a cooling off period. Let this legislation stand as it is for the present. Let us adjourn this House today without attempting to go any further with the passage of this Bill. If the Minister for Industry and Commerce, who in many ways is a very reasonable man, agrees to that, he will be doing more good for industrial relations than he has so far had an opportunity of doing since he was appointed Minister.
I know there may be difficulties as far as some of his colleagues are concerned. I know in the Cabinet we have some of the greatest reactionaries that ever sat in any reactionary Cabinet in Europe. Mind you, some of them were very reactionary. We have men in the Fianna Fáil Cabinet at the moment who do not know even how to talk to their workers and who do not even know how to bid the time of day to their own employees. Those are the men who hide now behind a Cabinet decision and send a decent colleague in here to this House who must take the brunt of the blame for the introduction of this repressive legislation that is coming before the House. I want to repeat again what the Taoiseach said. He said: "I want a cooling off period established." That was in 1961. Could we not ask for this cooling off period instead of now attempting to bring in permanent legislation?
In 1961 when this House met to discuss an almost similar measure, the Taoiseach came into this House and spoke immediately after the then Leader of this House, Senator Carter, introduced this motion. What does the Taoiseach think of this House today? He thought it worthwhile in 1961 to explain to the Seanad: "This is only a temporary measure. This is only a cooling off measure. I ask you under the circumstances to pass this temporary legislation and we will get it out of our way as soon as I have a tribunal established and as soon as everything is right inside the ESB". Even though it was only temporary legislation then, he thought it was essential for him to come to this House and explain it.
What happens now? Has his regard for this House sunk so low in the meantime that he will not even bother coming in at all? Although this is permanent legislation we are putting on the books on this occasion he does not even think it worth his while to come to this House. As far as the head of the Government is concerned he has lost his grip on the Cabinet. He has allowed the hotheads and the arrogant men behind him to bring in this permanent legislation with regard to the industrial workers of this country.
I do not suggest that the Minister for Industry and Commerce, who is here, is personally responsible for this particular motion. I would ask him, even at this late stage, to ask the Chair for an adjournment and having achieved what he knows every Member of this House would agree to, he should then seek the aid of three first-class men in the State who will be asked to set up, at this stage, a tribunal specially to consider this particular issue about which this legislation is coming in. It is not my function to suggest the names of such people but we have people in this State with the ability, the anxiety and the integrity necessary for this matter. We have people who will give confidence to all concerned that their recommendation is one that can be abided by. I ask him to set up a special committee.