Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was in one party and now I am an Independent. The Tánaiste can speak for himself. He is in a spin because he does not know where to stop. We are in an unequal union. We are being mistreated and bullied in Europe for the failures of many aspects of our governance and financial issues. As Deputy Pringle pointed out, the Europeans banks and regulators allowed money to be pumped recklessly into our banks when they were bust and the situation was finished and crazy. This Government and the previous Government expect citizens to pay it back. We have had not one penny, shilling or cent of a write-off. I called the so-called bailout a cleanout and voted against it because we got reasonable interest rates from the IMF but penal interest rates from our so-called partners and compatriots. In crisis, our friends cleaned us out and now they are telling us they will give us a longer time to pay it back but that every last cent must be paid back.

Recently, we were told by leading EU politicians and policymakers that the crisis of the eurozone provides an opportunity to push towards fiscal and political union. The speak we get from these people is hilarious. EU lawmaking from 2014 will be put on a straight population basis. Live horse and get grass. The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, has announced the unelected European Commission will set out a range of fundamental EU treaty changes by the end of next year.

It would be more important for Mr. Barroso and others to implement some of the things they promised under the Lisbon and other treaties. One of those promises related to the number of Commissioners. I understand that will not change. I do not wish to lose our Commissioner, but it makes a fallacy of the promises if the change will not happen. The cost of each Commissioner is ferocious during this time of savage austerity. The plans for imposing balanced budgets and draconian fiscal rules on the 17 eurozone countries do nothing to address the sovereign debt and banks solvency crisis.

We do not seem to be able to have a referendum on anything. Whatever else we have, the attitude is, "Do not let the people of Ireland vote again". The Paddies are not to be trusted with a vote. They voted on the Lisbon treaty and rejected it, so they had to be cajoled, begged and browbeaten into voting for it under all kinds of threats. They are not to be given the vote again, regardless of what it is about. That is certain. The Tánaiste made a great transition during his career to being a true anti-democrat, not allowing the people to have any vote. However, there will be a vote, sooner rather than later, and he will get his answer from the people. It will be the one he deserves.

The current situation is impossible. We are kowtowing to the German diktat. Deputy Murphy and others referred to the Second World War and the austerity that followed. As I have said many times previously, this is the third world war, but without bullets. It is financial. It is a takeover again by the greed of the Germans. It is pure bully-boy tactics. Nobody can talk to Ms Merkel. We do not even try to talk to her. Instead, we go over and pat her on the head and get a pat back. It is a case of "Go back Paddies" and "Croppies lie down", as if we are a backward people and not to be listened to. Why would we be listened to when we do not have a Taoiseach or Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to fight for the rights of the people in this country?

I could say a great deal more but I will not take up the speaking time of others. I note that the discussions for next week under the Presidency are on energy and taxation. The energy that was generated in the last Dáil by the Tánaiste against the last Government was merely the energy of hot air.

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