Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Our society has probably never been as unequal as it is today.

The austerity measures have added to that. It is unsustainable and it is not just here. In most of the developed world, the direction society is going is unsustainable. Those at the top are accumulating more wealth than they ever did - way more than they or generations after them could possibly dream of spending - and those at the bottom are in a more difficult place and life is getting tougher for them. I would love to see this Government introduce a serious drive towards tackling the level of inequality we have.

When the debate over the household charge was taking place, we held many public meetings. The thing that annoyed people the most was the level of inequality they were witnessing. They find it soul-destroying. Maybe I am living in a fantasy world but I believe a Government's priority should be to take the best care of those who most need its help. I do not believe this is happening. If the Minister was to try to argue that this is the case, he would find it difficult. This Government has made life very difficult for many people. The previous Government was no better. In February 2011, the people really thought they were voting for change but things have not changed for them. They are getting much the same style of government and cannot distinguish between this Government and the previous one in terms of how policies are implemented. It is little wonder that people are sick to the back teeth of politics and politicians. We are scorned, which is understandable because they do not believe anything we say any more. During the election in 2011, I really felt that people believed that they were at last getting rid of the previous Government. They made a huge mistake in 2007 by putting it back in because they were almost bribed to do so and they realised afterwards what a mistake it was. When it came to February 2011, they said "great, at last something different" but they got the same. I do not see any difference between them and neither do the people.

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