On the issue of what happened at the weekend I was appalled by what I saw. I believe there is still a crime of incitement in this country and I believe that those who bring people onto the streets have a responsibility to ensure that those people behave themselves properly. What went on at the weekend in this country does not reflect the democracy in which we live. I am sick and tired of champagne socialists taking people onto the streets and talking about the poverty in which they live, when they know sweet damn all about that poverty. I ask that not only do we condemn it but that the Garda Síochána should investigate what happened at the weekend to see if a crime was committed.

I wish to address Senator Katherine Zappone's issue with the Central Bank. I, too, have concerns about the Central Bank and the limitations that will be set on mortgages. I am very concerned that we may in some way soften what the Central Bank is trying to do. What we do not want in this country again is another bubble appearing as a result of a lack of discipline in our lending system. Most Members of this Chamber had to raise a 20% deposit in order to secure a mortgage back in the good old days when we had some bit of sense of how to run the country.

Ultimately, if there is a demand for the 20% deposit, pure economics will kick in. As people will be unable to buy the houses, the prices will fall and the market will regulate itself. I would be reluctant to soften anything. We have seen what softening has done. It has denied an entire generation the possibility of ever buying a house. Before we rush to try to loosen what the Central Bank is trying to do, let us take the time to look at the damage we might do to the next generation.

I agree with all of the Senators who said, in effect, that what happened over the weekend is clearly a threat to our democracy. It might be more than just last weekend. There are small groups of people who are hijacking peaceful protests for their own purposes and sinister agendas. They have done it on several occasions, as we have seen. Clearly, they do not believe in democracy. As one newspaper put it today, they believe in class envy, venom and the mob. It behoves all of us in this democratic Chamber to condemn these unacceptable practices in the strongest possible terms. That is something on which this House can easily unite, please God.

I echo all the comments made about the sinister development in protests. I believe Members who have been elected to the other House are intent on subverting democracy. They believe in the Trotskyite and Marxist-Leninist ideology of agitprop - agitation, propaganda and continuous revolution. They have tried and failed for the past few years to get the people onto the streets. How many Members recall comments made by those on the hard left questioning why the people were not adopting the same tactics as the people of Greece, Spain and elsewhere? They have got the people onto the streets on this issue, however, and now that they have them there, they want to keep them there. As has been said by Senator Paul Coghlan and others, they want to use the good people who were genuinely protesting - and every Member has defended the right to lawful protest - to subvert democracy. What will the Government do in response to this? This is not just about the water issue. This is about a very serious threat to the democratic institutions and structures of this country. It is time for the Government to analyse what is taking place on the streets and to take the necessary action. I am afraid it will be a problem to take that action because the most recent report on Garda resources indicates that, despite I and many others thinking it is a police force that uses state-of-the-art technology to combat crime, it is a police force that in many instances still has practices that date back to the early part of the 19th century, for example, in respect of fingerprinting. There should be a debate in the House on that report and on what the Government plans to do to resource the Garda. It is ironic and a little sad that the main party in the Government, Fine Gael, which has put itself forward since its foundation as the party of law and order, finds itself on the back foot on this report on Garda resources. Irrespective of whether we have the money, the overwhelming majority of people in this country see crime as a major issue, notwithstanding the other issues that have brought them onto the streets. That is especially the case in rural Ireland. I hope there will be a debate on that report and that the Government will bring forward proposals to protect democracy in this country and ensure we do not have a recurrence of the incidents that occurred last week.

I encountered a protest group last night in Dundalk and what was not said to me was not worth saying to anybody. I was not accosted or hit with a bottle or water balloon or held in my car for two and a half hours, but it was noisy.

I must say some of the people protested quietly but, as usual, there is always a few. I spoke to the Tánaiste yesterday and I must say there was a quiver in her voice, even hours after this happened. I commend her and our colleague, Senator Katherine Zappone, on how they handled the situation, and also the Taoiseach, who was accosted in Sligo last night.

To conclude on a good news story, I read at the weekend that Shannon Heritage, which operates several tourist attractions in the south west of the country, including Bunratty Castle and King John's Castle, has seen a 12% increase in tourism numbers at these sites in the first ten months of the year, and this is most welcome. Shannon Heritage employs more than 300 people at peak tourism times. The Gathering was very positive and a tremendous tourism success in all parts of the country, including the south west, but the figures for the first ten months of this year have surpassed everything. These figures are being attributed to rise in visitor numbers due to the increase in capacity through additional services provided at Shannon Airport and the Wild Atlantic Way initiative. It should be noted that this year, for the first time, more than 1 million people visited the world-famous Cliffs of Moher. Tourism is alive and well in the south west region, which is to be welcomed by us all.