Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

One thing is certain, however, that is, the Government is deluded if it thinks it will get away with blackmailing the people into voting for decades of counter-productive, austerity-driven misery. Tá breall ar Theachtaí an Rialtais. Déanfaidh an pobal a bheart nuair a thiocfaidh an vóta. Roimhe sin, ba chóir don Rialtas an reachtaíocht a chur a leataobh go dtí go ndéanfar an vóta sin agus deis a thabhairt dúinne eacnamaíocht cheart a thógaint amach anseo.

The Government is badly in need of a reality check. The latest ESRI quarterly commentary makes nonsense of the Government's projections and shows that the recession is set to continue for the foreseeable future. Consumer spending will continue to fall through next year, as will the level of investment.

The ESRI's employment projections are going in the opposite direction from those of the Minister and the Government. The ESRI projects that employment will fall, not grow, in 2012 and 2013. Average real wages for those lucky enough to hang on to their jobs are also set to fall. There are no rocket take-offs on the horizon for the Minister for Finance, not if he continues to choose austerity. CSO figures in the past 15 consecutive quarters have shown falling employment. So much for marching towards recovery. This is not a march, it is a death march led by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he continues to employ the austerity treaty as intended.

If there are plenty of jobs available, as members of this Government claim, was the European Commission's vacancy monitor lying to the European public when it demonstrated that there is just one job available here for every 50 jobseekers? Does the Government think that one job between 50 people is plenty because the others will emigrate? Tá 50 duine dífhostaithe do gach uile fholúntas sa Stát seo; an meán san Aontas Eorpach go hiomlán ná 9 duine do gach folúntas. Tá Éire breis is cúig uaire níos measa as ná an tAontas Eorpach. Má fhéachaimid ar ár bpáirtnéirí, siúd atá ag sciobadh an t-airgead uainn agus atá iarraidh fhlaitheas eacnamaíoch na tíre seo a sciobadh chomh maith, an Ghearmáin mar shampla, níl ach triúr duine dífhostaithe do gach uile fholúntas. Cén sórt comhpháirtíochta é sin?

If things were negotiated in a true spirit of partnership, access to the ESM would not be conditional on our signing up to legally binding austerity forever and a day. Austerity is precisely what is making the situation worse, it is stamping out demand in the local economy and every economic indicator proves austerity is not working.

"TINA" - there is no alternative - was once the mantra of Margaret Thatcher but it has been now adopted by the Labour Party and Fine Gael. There is no alternative if the Government legislates away our right to choose the alternatives or if it does not look at them. That is precisely what the Government has done since it took office a year ago. There are alternatives; the Government must grow them and stand up to Germany.

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