Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

Is it not the case that the Minister is trying to put a positive spin on what is an outrageous diktat from the IMF-EU to force working people in this country to work longer, harder and for less? Given that working class people, poor people, live shorter lives, this will disproportionately hit them and essentially work some people to death when they should have a few years to enjoy a dignified retirement.

Is not the least we could expect in such a serious matter, namely, raising the pension age, that the people would have a democratic say? Is it not extraordinary that in Slovenia on 5 June, a referendum was held on this matter and the people voted 72% against raising the pension age when their government planned to do the same as this one? Could we not have the same level of democracy on this key issue affecting ordinary people as the people of Slovenia had?

Italy has referendums on key and substantial issues of policy. One would not associate a country headed by Silvio Berlusconi with great levels of democracy but it has held referendums on serious and substantial issues and the government there has been defeated. Why can we not have a democratic say on this outrageous measure to force the people to work longer and harder for less?

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