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

Unfortunately, what is a progressive move in getting rid of an elitist institution, which most of our people would agree with, in my view, is tainted because of the nature and policies of the Government that is moving it. It is quite possible that people will take the opportunity to give the Government a kicking. Indeed, I will have to make it very clear in the course of any campaign that my economic policies, as a socialist, are diametrically opposed to those of the Government, which are in every way disastrous for our society but are also anti-democratic. We are talking here about extending democracy but we have a Government that bends the knee and capitulates to the troika and the financial markets at every stage.

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