Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)

That was one of the saddest days in the history of this State, a devastating day for our people.

I will not go over the details of the universal social charge again. Members know the realities in terms of its impact on the ground. Fine Gael has now put its right-wing clothing on. I single out Deputy Peter Matthews. His comments were thoughtful and represent an element within Fine Gael that clearly does not drift towards the right wing when it gets the chance. Is the Labour Party seriously going to serve for five years with people who articulate the views in the speech made last night by the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes? Is that what it will do to its values and where it comes from?. The Labour Party knows whom it represents. It represents the same people that Sinn Féin and the Independent Deputies represent. Are its members going to betray their interests for right-wing ideology yet again, because the people voted with hope in their hearts that those days of the elites, tents, Moriarty and Mahon tribunals were over, that the wealthy elites would not control and that we would have fair, progressive taxation in this State? We do not have it at this point. The Ministers, Deputies Joan Burton and Róisín Shortall, said the USC was squeezing the poor, that it was a blatant and unjustifiable attack on the poor. That is what they said. That is how strongly they felt about this tax. The one or two Ministers who were present last night listened to the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, talk about this being a fair, progressive State and they never said a word. They spoke about working in co-operation.

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