Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

Does the Taoiseach agree that if he said to Chancellor Merkel that he has a strong investment programme and is fostering the indigenous economy, he is spinning a yarn? In the same week, the Taoiseach announced massive cuts in the capital programme and the continuation of the austerity measures that are hammering the indigenous economy. What is the Taoiseach's view of this morning's reports that the European Commission wants a system of massively increased intrusion into the budgetary processes of member states and that there should be pre-approval of national budgets in certain countries, and that servicing of debt must always take priority over any other spending? This is a proposal to make vassal states of the peripheral countries.

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