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

Under the Tánaiste's watch, women, children, the poor, the vulnerable and low paid workers have taken cut after cut and suffered blow after blow as she has implemented time after time, measure after measure, cuts that can only be considered as being anti-woman, anti-child and poverty creating. This Government in its time in office made eight separate cuts in payments to lone parent families. More than 10,000 of them had their weekly payments cut by as much as €87 per week. In addition, thousands of struggling parents saw their incomes fall as inadequate child care provision caused further hardship and additional expense. Add to that a homeless crisis and the emigration of our young and talented citizens, but the Tánaiste looked after those who really mattered to her, the elite, the high income earners, those who were well cushioned against her austerity policies - recovery, in other words, for those who least needed it. Now in the last dying days of this failed Government she engages in the same old tired parish pump style politics worthy of Tammany Hall, spreading the largesse among her pals, her last hurrah, looking after the Labour Party's own golden circle while looking over her shoulder at an election coming at her like an out of control steam train.

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