Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

A stark position was outlined by the head of the European Central Bank, Mr. Mario Draghi. He referred to the European economy as being on the floor and that it needed a massive investment programme in order to stimulate real economic growth. Notwithstanding the fact that the Government is blowing its own trumpet about successes, there will be no sustained recovery if the European economy does not move in a different direction. As we never tire of telling the Government, there is no real recovery for ordinary families who continue to be hammered. Is there any lateral thinking at the discussions as to why this is the case? Why, after six years of a response to an unprecedented economic crisis, have the strategies adopted by the European Union failed to kick-start recovery? This links with the climate change issue. At what point will it dawn on our European partners - and us - that the law in Europe which essentially precludes major public investment in any of these areas is blocking recovery?

We can take afforestation as an example. The State forestry company cannot contribute one iota to afforestation because of EU rules which insist on the process happenin via the private sector or it will not happen at all. The State company which was established to contribute to afforestation in the country which would contribute in a serious way to reducing the effects of climate change, while creating employment and generating sustainable economic growth, cannot contribute to this process because of EU rules. This is unbelievable. At what point will we stand up and argue that it borders on madness that the vehicle we set up specifically to contribute to afforestation is precluded by the European Union from doing so?

The same principle applies to housing - we cannot build houses for homeless people because there must be matching funding for the private sector. Unless the private sector can make money from engaging in the activity, there will not be enough housing and people will be homeless. This again is related to EU rules.

Yesterday I asked the Taoiseach about what was happening in Kobani and I did not receive a straight answer. There is a big campaign across Europe - it is correct - to have the Kurdish PKK delisted from the list of international terrorist organisations. It has been engaged in peace discussions with the Turkish Government for many years and in recent weeks has been the major bulwark on the Turkish-Syrian border against ISIS, the organisation about which everybody in Europe and America is concerned. The Kurdish Peshmerga and PKK are resisting the ISIS offensive in Kobani, but the Turkish Government is frustrating their attempts to defend themselves against ISIS by putting tanks along the border and so on. It would be a major contribution if this country and Europe as a whole acknowledged the Kurdish PKK as a legitimate representative of the Kurdish people. It is fighting a liberation war against ISIS and some of the despotic regimes in the region.

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