Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have little quarrel with what was included in the Taoiseach's speech. One could not really quarrel with it because there was not very much in it. My problem is with what was not in the speech. The most important point discussed by the Taoiseach was the nomination of Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker. He told us very little about this and what he said was very disappointing. I agree with Deputy Micheál Martin who said he hoped the Taoiseach had not sold his vote for nothing. I hope that, in return for offering support to Mr. Juncker, the Taoiseach demanded a price for his vote that was in the interests of Ireland. There is no evidence of this. Employing a couple of platitudes, all he said was that Jean-Claude Juncker had both the qualities and experience required for the job and that he was committed to delivering on our strategic priorities to strengthen economic recovery and work to boost employment, etc. This is meaningless stuff. I want to know what happened, why the Taoiseach gave his vote, what Mr. Juncker will do for Ireland and what the Taoiseach achieved for Ireland in giving his support to Mr. Juncker who is, after all, an old EU insider. I hope the vote was not just sold for nothing.

I am disappointed by the obvious enthusiasm with which we so readily appointed Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, not because of who he is but because we abuse the Commissioner positions ourselves. When appointing his own Commissioner, the Taoiseach should not appoint the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, or another Fine Gael loyalist. Let me list the nine Commissioners whom we have appointed to date, not because they did not have ability but because they all had something in common: Mr. Patrick Hillery, Mr. Richard Burke, Mr. Michael O'Kennedy, Mr. Peter Sutherland, Mr. Ray MacSharry, Mr. Pádraig Flynn, Mr. David Byrne, Mr. Charlie McCreevy and Ms Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. All are former members of a Cabinet. The position of Commissioner is regarded by political parties as just one of the spoils of war to be distributed when a vacancy arises to party members whom they wish to get rid of — in some cases, it is quite obvious — or reward for loyalty to them or, particularly, their leaders. I have no great ambition to keep the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government at home, but I believe it would be extraordinary and wrong to appoint someone straight from the Cabinet. The Taoiseach should look outside it. To start with, why should he not reappoint Ms Máire Geoghegan-Quinn? I do not know. That she is a Fianna Fáil appointee should be absolutely immaterial. Why should he not look beyond Cabinet Ministers and politicians to someone with real expertise, commitment and interest in the European Union? There is no sign that this is being done.

It is immediately apparent there is an unseemly squabble going on in the public arena about whether it goes to Labour or to Fine Gael. That is not the way a position of this sort should be considered or treated. It should be treated on its merits and, if the Taoiseach is not capable of moving outside the very narrow circle of political insiders, then a different means of appointing a European Commissioner should be introduced in this country. It is a shameful list that we have, not because they are not people with ability but because they were appointed for the wrong reason.

The other thing I would have liked to hear the Taoiseach talk about, and he did not, is that this is the second anniversary, almost to the day, of him coming back in triumph and saying he had ensured huge sums of money were on the way from the European Stability Mechanism to the Irish banks. That is now a hollow claim and, as far as we can see, it is not going to happen. There is a little bit of shadow-boxing going on and an application is apparently about to be made, but there is not a hope in hell of us getting money from the ESM for legacy debt for the Irish banks. It is particularly difficult given the Minister for Finance is travelling to European capitals and to Washington, saying the banks are in good shape and do not need recapitalisation, and given AIB itself said last week that it is going to pay back every penny of the €20 billion. How can we ride both these horses at this time by saying we want money for that but also that the banks are healthy?

I believe the banks need money. We should admit it and then go to Europe with that case. We should say that recapitalisation is on the way and that we want some EU money for that. At the moment, however, the Taoiseach gives the impression he will not say boo to a goose, particularly when he is in the European capitals.

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