David Norris

“How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever.”

“I believe that at some stage some citizen across Europe will drop a match on the floor and the whole bloody thing will go up, and it cannot come soon enough as far as I am concerned.”

“If I were a woman I would not be reassured by being told the legislators are apparently not concerned with the health of a woman. They should be.”

“The reason for the lack of business in this House is perfectly clear and it is not the responsibility of this House to deal with the matter. The Taoiseach and the cabal that runs Fine Gael have decided that they will take over the role previously held by Fianna Fáil as the slightly constitutional party. They have decided to destroy the Seanad by refusing to refer legislation to it.”

“It does not say much for a person's morality if he is prepared to sacrifice what he believes in for a job.”

“Two charming young women approached me and lobbied me about this matter because they both have Down's syndrome children with a reasonably high IQ.”

“The Senator is a drug dealer.”

“On a point of order, I thought I was in Seanad Éireann, but it appears I have inadvertently wandered into a meeting of Donegal County Council.”

“The Minister of State should stop saying "with respect". He and his Government have no respect at all for this House.”

“Will he listen to the voice of the people, this wonderful democrat, this absolute democrat who would not recognise democracy if it came up and puked in his face?”