Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

They must be delighted with the Taoiseach for blaming the Irish people for the disaster of their system, paying billions to salvage Irish, French, German and other banks on the backs of the Irish people and then agreeing to austerity in perpetuity to pay for all of this.

Does the Taoiseach agree with his Minister for Transport, Deputy Varadkar, that Irish people are essentially so stupid they would not be able to see what a referendum on the austerity treaty is about? Does he agree with the Minister's statement that holding a referendum would not be democratic because people may have on their minds extraneous issues such as septic tanks or household taxes and would dare to think about bondholders and - wait for it - cutbacks as they voted? According to the Minister, these issues do not have any connection with a referendum on austerity. Does the Taoiseach agree that his Minister for Transport is severely spatially challenged if he cannot join a few short dots to see precisely the connection between an austerity treaty, cutbacks, stealth taxes and a tax on living standards?

I challenge the Taoiseach to hold a referendum, regardless of whether the Attorney General decides it is a constitutional imperative. Does he agree that it is democratic to bring the matter to the people? Has he noticed that according to one poll taken at the weekend, three quarters of people are demanding a say on the austerity treaty?

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