Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

When the euro project was being formed, the German Minister for Finance at the time, Oskar Lafontaine, spoke of the "vision of a united Europe, to be reached through the gradual convergence of living standards, [and] a deepening of democracy..." In The Guardian last week Aditya Chakrabortty wrote in the same context: "Instead of raising living standards across Europe, monetary union is pushing them downwards. Rather than deepening democracy, it is undermining it". The Europe we were promised seems to have disappeared. Aside from the Greek episode, another example is the amount of squabbling in which members engaged about what they were going to do with the 40,000 migrants that nobody wanted. These migrants are in Italy and Greece. Members were, however, able to show more unity on how they were going to shaft Greece.

Earlier today the Taoiseach said the European Union was not trying to push Greece out of the European Union. I agree and do not believe it is. However, it does not want Greece to behave in a certain way. What it really wants is regime change in Greece and its movements in the past while have been seriously geared in that direction. Shortly after Syriza was elected on 22 January, the ECB introduced a ruling that curtailed the amount of money the Greek banks could give to local authorities. The previous government was not subject to that curtailment and I wonder why. Why did the ECB force the closure of the Greek banks last weekend? Would it have had anything to do with the fact that it was trying to influence the referendum result next Sunday? It is blatantly obvious that the manner in which Syriza is trying to govern Greece, the manner in which it has tried to put an end to austerity and the manner in which it has stood up to the neoliberal agenda of the European Union do not suit the European Union and that it would like somebody else to rule Greece. That is what it would really like to see.

When one mentions the word "neoliberalism" here, there is almost a feeling of "don't say that word again." People do not like to talk about neoliberalism and there is a good reason for it. Perhaps we might simplify the word more often because it is a simple philosophy which was brought forward by Milton Friedman and enshrined by Mrs. Thatcher and Ronald Reagan initially and many more since. It was about deregulating financial institutions, cutting the size of the state, cutting public services and privatising as much of the public service as was possible. It was about looking after the interests of big business first and whatever was left taking care of the people. This is a philosophy that is causing untold damage and which at this stage is creating a humanitarian crisis for many who are on the wrong side of the line. That is the sad truth of the matter.

Every person standing for election in the next general election should be made to commit one way or the other on whether he or she will be part of a neoliberal grouping after the election. Neoliberalism is hugely damaging and causes untold trouble for too many.

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