Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Táim ag teacht ar ais so fan cúpla nóiméad. I am coming back to it, although I am going the circuitous route.

I am elected to the Dáil like everyone else for the time being and I cannot understand the charade that is going on in this country and how people have plundered it and walk free. If I mislead my accountant it is basic, naked, simple fraud and I can be charged. There is no need to wait for 30,000 documents or anything else. We know that in the case I am talking about it was millions and billions that were moved in and out of accounts before the books were done. Lo and behold, we find the accountancy firms that were helping out have now been appointed under the IBRC Bill to look after the winding up of those two banks.

Reference was made to the multi-annual fund. The first time I heard of it was at a meeting of South Tipperary County Council when we trying to get certain byroads included and we were told they had to be national secondary or national primary roads and that there would be a multi-annual fund that would go on forever, but the road was never done.

We are now bringing this in because the troika wants us to bring it in. Herr Angela is our god now. Previous speakers mentioned that our budget can be discussed in the German Parliament before we even see it here.

It is sad.

There was reckless carry-on. The 1977 election was mentioned. Certainly, I was out canvassing that time, putting up posters promising no motor tax and no rates on land. At the time, rates on land were a heavy burden to pay. They were always paid by my father and his father - God rest them - and most others. Anyway, there was out-bidding by the others and it was about who could bid the highest. More fool I was, but we learned by our mistakes and I admit that.

Certainly, the last election was auction politics. When Fine Gael was running away with it, the former party of the Acting Chairman, Deputy Broughan - like myself, he is in exile - could not offer enough. They were going to burn the bondholders. They were going to have smoke going up into the skies - the planes could not fly with the smoke that would be going up and the chafe and the dust from the bondholders' bonfire. What were they not going to do? The stated "Not another cent," and the exact opposite was done then when they came into Government. The people are wary now. I am involved in politics since 1976. Certainly, it has been an education, but it is sad the way the public has been caught, cajoled and led astray by Governments and the permanent Government.

On the Bill, while the Bills Digest contains nice points, it even mentions, if one would not mind, Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Constitution into which so much effort went and which has stood us well over the time. Of course, now it is used when we feel like using it and abused when we feel like abusing it. Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Constitution of Ireland, states that the executive power of the State is exercised by or on the authority of the Government - Article 28.2. The Government, which is responsible to Dáil Éireann, is collectively responsible for the Departments of State administered by its members. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance must be members of the Dáil, and I thank God they are. All State revenues must be paid into one fund, called the Central Fund or the Exchequer, as we painfully know it. The Government then draws on this for expenditure in respect of State services. Government expenditure consists of voted expenditure and non-voted expenditure. The larger part of Government expenditure consists of voted expenditure, which is for the ordinary services, called supply services, of Departments. Following the Government's proposals, the Dáil is asked to vote on authorising the moneys in respect of these services each year. Non-voted expenditure is paid out of the Central Fund under specific legislation, without annual reference to the Dáil. Is mór an trua é sin. This consists of expenditure on items such as contributions to the European Union budget; servicing the national debt, that monstrosity that we must service at all costs even though the ordinary humble citizen had little say or part in creating such a monster; and the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, a wholly extraordinary body which could not be described as being fair or representative when it includes no representative of the Independents, of which there were previously 19 and there are now 22 or 23, a sizeable portion of this Parliament - and, as I heard earlier from Deputy Catherine Murphy, Sinn Féin is excluded as well.

What did I do wrong now?

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