Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

This is a shoddy attempt to muddy the waters on the European stability mechanism. It is part of a systematic campaign by this Government to prevent serious discussion on the European Stability Mechanism, its contents and its far-reaching consequences for the citizens of this country in terms of further austerity when we enter a second so-called bailout programme. Given the austerity provisions we will be required to commit to if we enter the European Stability Mechanism, it should more accurately be described as a burial programme for the Irish economy and society.

No one has any objection to the accession of Croatia to the European Union. We welcome it. Similarly, inserting some protocol into the Lisbon treaty, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Treaty on European Union noting the concerns raised by the public about the Lisbon treaty are welcome provisions. However, I note that the concerns the Government chose to identify as what the public was concerned about in respect of the Lisbon treaty are not exhaustive or reflective of the actual concerns raised by those of us who opposed it on the first and second occasions. This protocol identifies issues to do with the right to life, with taxation - the Government is primarily concerned with the issue of corporate tax - with the important issue of Ireland's involvement in the common foreign and security policy of the European Union and in particular, Ireland being slowly dragged into a European army and a European military apparatus, the militarisation of Europe and the connection to the NATO military alliance. However, this protocol merely notes our concern in this regard and it does nothing to prevent us being slowly dragged into that NATO military alliance, as, of course, is testified to by the fact that Irish soldiers are present in the NATO operation in Afghanistan.

Of course, other concerns were raised by the public at the time, one of which is particularly worthy of mention, given the current financial crisis in Europe. The first people to raise the narrow mandate of the European Central Bank being copper-fastened - only concerning itself with inflation and not concerning itself with issues to do with employment and macro-economic stability - were those of us from the left who opposed the Lisbon treaty, who said this was a recipe for disaster, that the mandate of the ECB was too narrow. Since then, other people are jumping up and down saying they want the mandate of the ECB to be broadened but, of course, at the time, when we raised the issue of the narrow mandate of the ECB, we were dismissed, ignored and vilified as being scar-mongers. Of course, we have been proven to be right. At the time of the Lisbon treaty, we also raised issues to do with the commitment of European treaties - strengthened in the Lisbon treaty - to foster and promote the privatisation of public services, to effectively make illegal the provision of State aid for public enterprises, all of which are extremely damaging provisions which undermine the ability of this State and other European states to protect themselves against the consequences of economic crisis and they undermine us in our efforts to find a way out of that economic crisis. None of those expressed concerns is acknowledged in this protocol. Most of all, I object very strongly to the mixing up of these issues of the accession of Croatia and the concerns of the Irish public over the Lisbon treaty with the European Stability Mechanism. It is part of an attempt to cover up what is involved in the European Stability Mechanism. This should be dealt with separately and there should be proper debate. A guillotine should not have been imposed.

It is disgraceful that the media have refused to engage in any serious way in a discussion of the contents of the European Stability Mechanism, which may cost this State up €11 billion or more to help recapitalise and bail out European banks or even more than €11 billion, as is becoming apparent with the growing crisis in Spain and in Italy. The ESM staff and governors and its assets and property will not be subject to any legal scrutiny or any political or public oversight. It is outrageous. The ESM will be based on strict conditionality, that is, austerity being imposed on the Irish people for the privilege of bailing out European banks. I strongly oppose these amendments being included in a Bill that is essentially about facilitating the European Stability Mechanism which is nothing more than another vehicle to deliver poisonous austerity onto the heads of the Irish people and other European citizens.

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