John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely. It is surprising there is no increase in funding for social protection. One would think we lived in some sort of utopia, with no serious social or economic difficulties facing massive sections of Irish society.

The programme for Government acknowledges that Irish people have worked hard for the economic progress we now have. The Government continued to pat Irish people on the back for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make to achieve this economic success. The word "sacrifice" suggests that people had a choice. People make sacrifices for something better, to achieve something they can benefit from, but what have people gained from the sacrifices they have made? Do they have more money, stability or recovery? Fine Gael, Labour, and Fianna Fáil before them chose who to target in their austerity agenda, including lone parents, carers, children, those with disabilities and the elderly.

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