Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta Mary Lou McDonald for the overview of the austerity treaty. We are told the treaty is about being at the heart of the European Union, yet it is not an EU treaty. We are told it is about preventing the recurrence of the economic catastrophe that is engulfing the eurozone because it will enforce rules previously adhered to by countries such as Spain which now find themselves at the centre of the current economic turmoil and crisis. We are told the treaty is about confidence and stability but it continues a policy of austerity that has resulted in a double dip recession, unemployment rates of nearly 25% in Spain and youth unemployment rates of almost 50% in Greece. We are told the treaty will create jobs by continuing a policy that has resulted in an unemployment figure of 440,000 in this country and led to 76,000 people being forced to emigrate since this date last year. I hope I am not pointing out the obvious when I note that unemployment, austerity and being unable to provide food for one's children are not the ingredients of stability.

I echo Deputy McDonald in cautioning the Fianna Fáil Party and the Government against peddling lies about jobs again. The previous campaign in favour of the Lisbon treaty was built around the issue of jobs. Since then, 170,000 jobs have been lost and the 440,000 people who are unemployed have little tolerance for lies about jobs.

People have experienced the true meaning of austerity and come to understand it through job losses, the imposition of VAT increases, the universal social charge and bin, septic tank, household and water charges. Ghost estates have been joined by ghost main streets. Some 190,000 businesses went bust last year. In the past five years, 50,000 retail jobs have been lost and a further 30,000 jobs in the sector are in jeopardy. People are all too aware of what exactly the austerity treaty means. It means a treaty for unemployment, emigration and the closure of schools, hospital beds and Garda stations.

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