Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach said that the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, invited him to a conference on nutrition, world hunger and related issues. What new ideas came forward from the British Prime Minister in respect of the alleviation or, preferably, elimination of hunger and malnutrition across the world? What new ideas, if any, did the Taoiseach bring to the conference? Were the results of a major study by a non-governmental organisation called Tax Justice Network, written by James Henry, formerly of McKinsey & Co and an expert on tax havens, that an incredible $21 trillion are salted away by the super-rich global elite in offshore accounts, trusts, etc., relayed there? In view of that stunning information, how does the Taoiseach justify joining with the British Prime Minister in opposing even a modest transaction tax on the vast billions circulating through the world and European financial markets on a daily basis? Even a modest wealth tax on this elite is opposed, which in Europe and elsewhere refuses to invest in the productive economy and is instead facilitated by the ten top private banks, including the likes of Goldman Sachs - the great vampire squid, as it was famously alluded to in an American magazine - sucking up the resources for its services to big business and the super-rich internationally? Is it not very clear that on the basis of this information, emergency action, taxes and levies on these elements of wealth need to be introduced on a European and world basis? Why, for example, will the Taoiseach not lead a move within the European Union in this regard? This morning and just now, he professed a willingness to put on his wellington boots and wade through the toxic sludge to end diesel laundering, which I agree should be ended.

See this speech in context