|
Family Day in Leinster House / Litter |
|
Monday, 29 June 2009 |
|
During the Order of Business in the Seanad, I said: I congratulate all those involved in the arrangements last weekend for the family day in Leinster House. I am not sure who was in charge of it, but those who were involved deserve a great deal of credit. I heard many words from people who were pleased to be able to show their children and families how democracy works and it reminded me that although we see many schools in here, they do not often have the opportunity to understand how it works. It is very important. It also came to light when I met somebody last month who did not bother voting and said he never votes. I realised how sad it is that, having fought for and gained our democracy, some people do not regard it highly. Praise is due to those who organised the event...
I read that Wexford and Ennis became the cleanest towns in Ireland and Athlone and Mallow were at the bottom of the list. The point I noted was that a number of towns said they can no longer afford to employ cleaners to the same extent. We should not need cleaners. Those citizens among us who value our democracy and country will not drop litter on the ground in the first place. It is our own behaviour. It is not a question of having to clean up afterwards, rather it is a question of making sure we behave ourselves. I live near a beach and I am stunned every now and then to see the amount of litter left on it because people assume somebody will clean it up afterwards. We have to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to have the country we have and make sure we use our hands so it is not lost. I notice the biggest offender is chewing gum and yet I understand the chewing gum companies have supported the efforts to have chewing gum holders throughout the city — I am not sure if it is the same throughout the country. We have nobody to blame but ourselves if we have a country that is not clean. It is not because we do not employ enough people to clean up, but because we are making it dirty. |
