Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

From what the Taoiseach said, there is no sense of the so-called spirit of solidarity cited in Article 122 of the Lisbon treaty. There is no spirit of solidarity when the European Union and those involved in the eurozone grouping decide that they can make profit on the backs of Irish people, who are facing hardship. How will the Taoiseach explain what is happening, in the context of a spirit of solidarity, to those who are on social welfare payments or low or middle incomes and who are being obliged to shoulder the burden of the repayments to be made? The suffering and hardship that are affecting our society and that will continue to hold sway in the coming years have come about as a result of the decision to bail out banks and bondholders.

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