Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted that the Fianna Fáil Party tabled this motion. I am exhilarated to see the Minister in the House to listen and reply to the debate. I tabled a parliamentary question two weeks ago and I thought I was back in the era of Mary Harney, with the idea that the Minister has no responsibility for EirGrid. He evaded responsibility.

I am delighted he is sitting up and listening now. Is that because he was grilled at the Labour conference last week? I am saying to the Minister and any supporter of his amendment that this is going nowhere. As I stated this morning, if this does not go underground, the project will be buried anyway. There is a feeling that EirGrid has been cavalier and arrogant, and to add insult to injury, the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, has decided to appoint the former chairman of An Bord Pleanála - now retired - as the gamekeeper in EirGrid. He knows every nook, cranny and pigeon hole in An Bord Pleanála, where the planning process has been subverted. The process will not go to council level and it must go to An Bord Pleanála, so who better to put into EirGrid than Mr. John O'Connor? He waltzed before the committee yesterday and told me, among many others, that he never asked for a job specification when the Minister asked him to take on the role and he did not ask about remuneration either. He would not need to as he is already on a healthy pension from many other places. He is retired and I have nothing personal against the man but there are plenty of young people with expertise who can listen to and deal with people while being accountable to them.

We are accountable here and I am a Teachta Dála, which equates to a messenger boy. I do not mind that and I am proud of it, as I have been elected by the people of south Tipperary to tell the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, and his colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Alan Kelly, that their blackguarding of the people will not continue. We had Cromwell in Tipperary and bloody blackguards of all kinds but we will not put up with these mobsters, as I call them. They think they can insult and lie to people while scoffing at them. They have never taken off suits to put on wellies to engage with the public. They have come here to say they had engagements at marts and race meetings. As I stated today, one goes to a mart to buy or sell a beast and one goes to a race meeting for a punt. People do not go to talk about EirGrid. All this is to satisfy the Aarhus Convention provisions on consultation. These people are not consulting at the moment but they will have to engage with the people. They will not get away with this.

The Minister is wilting under the pressure. He might say that promises are made at election time and he can talk about Mrs. Murphy's bull, Mrs. Brown's cow or Mrs. Keane's dog but they are coming back to bite him at the heels, the knees and further up as well. We are not going to have this in rural Ireland as there has been no engagement. What has it all been for but to take wind energy from big business and export it to Her Majesty, if we do not mind, so that the country can get over its Kyoto promises? The Minister has signed the memorandum of understanding to help meet the UK's obligations with regard to fossil fuel use and emissions. The Minister should think long and hard and ask Mr. O'Connor to retire to Cork. He should make a new appointment of somebody who will consult and listen to the people before it is too late and the project is scrapped. I introduced a scrap metal Bill to the House but I will not need to do so again if this project goes ahead, as it will be consigned to the scrap heap.

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