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

Ironically, one of the big issues at Davos this year was inequality. This discussion at Davos about inequality in the world was proceeded by the aforementioned Oxfam report that showed by next year the richest 1% of people in the world will own more wealth than everybody else in the world put together. There is a discussion about inequality against a background of obscene and gross inequality where a tiny group of people control the vast majority of wealth in the world while billions of people are starving, without homes, suffering extreme financial distress and suffering austerity. Those discussing austerity, along with the Taoiseach and the other leaders, were 100 billionaires who were invited to this event. They included our old friend, Mr. Denis O'Brien, worth €6 billion. Interestingly, according to The Sunday Timesrich list, his wealth has doubled since the recession started. We have persons whose wealth is obscene beyond belief gathering together to discuss the evils of inequality in the world when those who are discussing it are the culprits. They are the ones responsible for the inequality because they, between them, have hoovered up more wealth than the vast majority of the world's population has. Does the Taoiseach agree that is quite obscene?

The Taoiseach, as a head of state, gets a free ticket but the tickets for the conference at Davos are $30,000 each.

There, the super rich - the world's richest people - along with Heads of State and royalty discuss inequality. Not many of the victims of inequality will be getting in at $30,000 per ticket. The banquets and partying are pretty sumptuous according to reports.

See this speech in context