That is unparliamentary language.

I am sorry. It really infuriates me because while they are perfectly entitled to protest, and Sinn Féin members of Fingal County Council said it was a peaceful protest, they did not allow people to leave the car park for two hours to get back to doing what they had to do. Socialist Party guys tried to seek out the Labour Party councillors so that abuse could be hurled at them, as was hurled at my own colleagues. The local authority has no role whatsoever in water charges or water rates. One Independent councillor, Mr. Jimmy Guerin, who tabled a very reasonable motion was singled out by this bunch of thugs for abuse.

Senator, that is unparliamentary language. Do you have a question for the Deputy Leader?

I bring this to the attention of the House because it is obviously going to be a trend across the country. If a councillor or a public representative tables a motion at a meeting with which this bunch of people does not agree, they will stop him or her going about his or her business, protest and do the devil and all.

People are entitled to their own opinions but I would say to the protestors, Deputy Paul Murphy's crowd, Éirígí and all these other people, that people are entitled to disagree with them. However, we are getting into a really dangerous situation, which I deplore. I ask the Deputy Leader to join with me in deploring those actions which took place in Swords yesterday evening.

I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien that what happened at Fingal County Council is an attack on democracy. Councillors in Kilkenny had to face the same thing recently in regard to a central access scheme. When they left the chamber after debating the issue, they were verbally assaulted and attacked, and some of them actually had to get into cars to be escorted from the council premises.

With regard to the issue Senator O'Brien raised about pensions, I would like to remind him what party caused the crash in this country-----

The Senator does not understand.

No. People lost pensions. They invested in bank shares-----

What about the radioactive Bill?

Maybe the Senator could talk about farming or something.

Senator O'Neill, without interruption.