Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The contempt the Government shows for these families is breathtaking.

Forcing people into poverty is not something to be proud of, which was something the Labour Party understood not so long ago. The Government has today confirmed that it is a pedlar of poverty and to make matters worse, it wants a round of applause for its efforts. I, for one, am sick of listening to its self-congratulatory refrain as it tells us how difficult it has been to take the difficult decisions, as though Ministers were deserving of sympathy. I wonder if it has ever given any real thought for those at the receiving end of its difficult decisions. Has it, for one minute, considered the utter recklessness of imposing a tax on the family home when 126,000 mortgages on family homes are in arrears and countless other householders scrimp to meet their mortgages?

The Government has the scope to call off the water charges and to put an end to the tax on the family home. This would leave €800 million in the pockets of hard pressed families where it is needed to keep these families afloat. This money would be then spent in the local economy, supporting jobs in those same communities. That would be a real break which would provide real assistance to people who are struggling to keep their heads above water.

If I were standing in the Taoiseach's shoes today, water charges would be abolished - gone. If Sinn Féin were in charge, the tax on the family home would be abolished - abandoned and consigned to the political dust bin of extremely bad ideas.

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