Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

What is happening here is not democracy. Fine Gael and Labour Party Deputies, to a man and woman, walked through the lobbies to deny this Dáil, representing the Irish people, a discussion and a vote on whether €700 million should be handed over today to anonymous bondholders, bankers and speculators. In other words, those who believe they are a sovereign Government are in full capitulation to people who are anonymous. It is an incredible distortion and denial of democracy. Therefore, the United Left Alliance Deputies, in protest against this, will leave the Chamber until 12 noon in order to mark for the Irish people that we are serious about representing their concerns in this Chamber, and in opposition to what the Labour Party and Fine Gael in Government are shamefully doing.

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