Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

The debate will demonstrate clearly that permanent austerity is proposed in the fiscal compact. If the structural deficit targets for 2015 that are proposed in the compact are fully implemented, further cuts of €5.7 billion will have to be made in that year or equivalent cuts will have to be spread out over a few years. In other words, further disastrous damage will be caused to the domestic economy, which is suffering massively already.

See this speech in context