Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

The rights of people in the North in respect of the Irish language are important. However, far more pressing at this time in working-class communities is the massive crisis with regard to jobs, the beckoning health and education cuts and the sectarian division that, unfortunately, still underlines society in the North. As a representative of a political tendency that historically has opposed both British imperialism and paramilitarism of all kinds, I am seriously concerned that the intensification of the economic crisis, leading to greater poverty and the alienation that goes with it in the North, poses a threat to the possibility of society advancing and ordinary people in the North having the decent society and life they deserve. I put it to the Taoiseach that, unfortunately, while Members welcomed the end of the insane paramilitarism on all sides and recognise that British imperialism and capitalism are in crisis and do not really have a solution to offer, the institutionalisation of sectarian division which is the reality of the structures put in place on foot of the Good Friday Agreement has fault lines and that such fault lines can be badly exposed if the economic crisis, poverty, alienation, unemployment and cuts to services are intensified. Therefore, in the interests of ensuring a decent future and overcoming the problems of sectarian division, I suggest to the Taoiseach that it is critical that these issues be addressed. I note his own Government does not give good example in leading a massive barrage of cuts here.

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