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

Just to be helpful, austerity is widely understood as an economic policy where governments slash the living standards of ordinary people through income cuts and higher taxes to pay for the bailout of bankers and speculators when their casino-like money market system fails. People throughout Europe will find it amazing that the Taoiseach or Prime Minister of the country that holds the Presidency either denies that it exists or is not fully au fait with it, judging from the Taoiseach's earlier remarks.

Has the Taoiseach discussed this whole issue of austerity throughout Europe with the President of the European Commission, Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso, since he made his recent remarks which raised serious reservations about austerity? Does the Taoiseach not feel that people like President Barroso should be called to explain, if he has these reservations, what is the alternative and what is the logic of having such reservations if he and the Commission continue, as part of the troika, to impose a savage regime of austerity on the people of Greece, Portugal, Ireland and other countries? Does the Taoiseach, who has the Presidency of the EU, have a particular responsibility to demand straight answers from those who wield enormous power within the European Union at present, or are words cheap and mean nothing, and people just sound off and feel no responsibility to honour what they say? This applies to the Minister for Social Protection. Should she not resign rather than implement any further savage austerity by the Government? If austerity is a deeply damaging and immoral hegemonic model, should there not be a refusal by the President to sign into law further tranches of that austerity from the Government, like the property tax, which is hugely damaging living standards and causing huge angst? Do words mean anything in this day and age if people feel they can just make speeches and try to enunciate the feelings of tens of millions of people throughout Europe, but then not stand behind them?

The Taoiseach has less than two months to the exit of Ireland from the EU Presidency. Will he not find it shameful if, even once, he does not stand and challenge this disastrous policy that is being inflicted on tens of millions of ordinary people throughout Europe, given he has not challenged it once? He should use his international platform to challenge it on behalf of the Irish people, who are victims of this austerity which he is implementing, as well as on behalf of tens of millions of people throughout the EU. Will he not have a sense of shame or failure that he is not in any way challenging these effects, which are now commonly accepted and understood, not just by the real left, which has exactly spelled out what the disastrous consequences would be, but even by right wing economists, who are now arriving at this conclusion as well? The effects of this policy are emblazoned on society and on the lives of our people to their great cost.

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