Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

A "bad deal, fit only for a land of pound shops and food banks", is how the trade union movement vividly and accurately described last year's Stormont House Agreement in advertisements in newspapers. Now, after a year of political crisis in the North, we have "A Fresh Start" agreement, which, in reality, is a worse deal again. Far from a fresh start, it is a rotten continuation of austerity and sectarianism.

Hypocrisy abounds in this debate. The Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour parties all are guilty of gross hypocrisy for crowing about the austerity Sinn Féin is implementing when they are in favour of that austerity, both in the North and in the South. The hypocrisy of Sinn Féin also has to be highlighted. After months of bombastic posturing on the issue, we have the incredible situation that they, together with the DUP and the Alliance Party, have, Pontius Pilate-like, attempted to wash their hands of responsibility for welfare reform by simply voting to hand power to implement those vicious cuts to the Tories in Westminster.

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