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

If it is the Taoiseach's intention to invite President Obama, I ask him to raise two matters with the President. Given the Taoiseach's comments on corporate tax, I am disappointed that he is still continuing to hold the line and treating the issue as a sacred cow. In the context of the American Government's examination of this matter, would it not be useful to have substantial co-operation between Europe and the US on increasing the corporate tax take and breaking from the policies of tax piracy and tax competition between Europe and America and within Europe that are destabilising the global economy and robbing states, be it this one, European states or the US, of revenues that they could use for stimulus programmes and employment? This type of co-operation between Ireland and the US would be more beneficial to the citizens of both countries.

I seek a specific answer on my next question. If President Obama is to be invited to the South during the G8 Summit, will the Government also invite some of the representatives of the victims of US foreign policy so that we might at least have some balance in the debate on America's role in the world? Several times, I have mentioned that the deputy speaker of the Gaza Legislative Council, Dr. Ahmad Bahar, has asked me to ask the Taoiseach whether he can visit this country to meet the Taoiseach and Irish parliamentarians.

I propose that the Taoiseach invites him-----

See this speech in context