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

The Taoiseach suggested earlier that Ireland was much better off than Greece despite the fact that, unlike Greece, we have no write-down of our debt. In this regard, he cited the disastrous consequences of austerity for Greece. Is it not the case that the reality is the other way around? Europe was forced to give a write-down to Greece, recognising the disastrous consequences of austerity for the Greek economy and people. Greece screamed at Europe economically, socially and politically that austerity and imposing that level of debt on the Greek people was a disaster. When will the Taoiseach and the troika recognise that the same will happen here unless this debt burden is lifted and the austerity linked to it is pulled back from?

When will the troika cop on to how badly our society and economy have been damaged a result of the suffocating debt burden that has been imposed on us and the austerity we are being asked to endure in order to pay the debt back? It is time for the Taoiseach to change strategy. He should stop talking up the Irish situation and telling the troika how wonderful things are because the message that is sending to them is that we do not need debt relief and that there is no hurry on debt relief for Ireland. In reality, however, people are being plunged into poverty, hundreds of thousands are unemployed and people are flooding out of the country. At what point is the Taoiseach going to put up his hand to the troika and tell them that this is a disaster for our economy? We do not want to reach the depths that Greece is reaching in order for the troika finally to cop on that we cannot afford to pay this debt. Next year the interest holiday on the promissory notes is over and 15% of Government expenditure will go on repaying interest on debt. Does the Taoiseach honestly think that is sustainable? Does the troika think it is sustainable? It will absolutely destroy our economy. I ask the Taoiseach to speak up on our behalf, like the Spanish, Greek, Italian and Portuguese governments have done, and say we cannot do this anymore and the people cannot take this pain anymore.

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