Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Taoiseach for that rather disingenuous answer. As he knows, we do not have a cohort at the back. We have a duly mandated team of Seanadóirí and Teachtaí Dála anseo. With a mind to the awful social consequences, unlike the Government, we have put forward thoughtful costed propositions as to how we can grow our way out of the difficulties and get our people back to work.

Last week, Mario Draghi spelled out his vision for the austerity treaty, describing it as "a fiscal union in which the national Governments will have to accept a delegation of fiscal authority and sovereignty to a central authority". Tá sé soléir go n-aontaíonn an Taoiseach leis an méid seo. Cén fáth? An gcuimhníonn sé an sean-dán? "Mór mo ghlóir/ Mé a rug Cú Chulainn cróga/ Mór mo náire/ Mo chlann féin a dhíol a máthair." What will this mean? The Taoiseach clearly agrees with the delegation, as Mr. Draghi calls it, of fiscal sovereignty to a central authority. This will mean a delegation of fiscal authority, putting in place the setting of taxes over sovereign states in the EU.

Why should Irish citizens vote for a treaty that means handing over what is left of our economic decision-making? The Taoiseach rightly criticised the Fianna Fáil Government when it handed over sovereignty to the EU and the IMF. Indeed, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, described the 2011 budget as a "puppet budget from a puppet Government". Cad í an difríocht anois? Why does the Taoiseach support the abandonment of economic sovereignty? Why does he believe that tax measures, public spending targets or welfare rates should be set in Brussels or Berlin rather than here in the Oireachtas?

See this speech in context