Gaza speech makes David Norris YouTube’s top political hit

He may not have quite the online pulling power of President Higgins, but David Norris’s impassioned Senate speech on the Gaza crisis has already chalked up in the region of 250,000 views on YouTube.

That makes him by far the most successful Irish politician to appear on the global video-sharing site, easily beating the 98,000 views for fellow senator Fidelma Healy-Eames’ bizarre warning last February against so-called fraping (Facebook ‘rape’).

“Heavens!” Senator Norris exclaimed yesterday when he learned his speech had gone viral and that the overwhelming response to his speech was positive, judging from online comments. “That just shows the power of modern technology and the value of retaining the Senate. I am not surprised, though, at the positive reaction as, among the 1,000 or so emails I received after the speech, only two were negative.”