Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to speak on the motion. As far as I am concerned it is high time the Taoiseach's spin factory was consigned to history. The Taoiseach comes into the Chamber and tries to persuade us that black is white and white is black. It is not a spin unit. He tells us it is all about informing the people, but he is sadly wrong. We have an educated electorate that can see what is going on; it can see it a mile away. Let us be blunt about it. This is just a piece of equipment for Saint Leo to use at his discretion. It has one function, which is to get Fine Gael back into Government. I said before the last election that they were waiting in the long grass and they are. They are waiting in the long grass. It is spin and more spin. The only one I can compliment is Oliver Callan on the great job he does. It is a farce; it is utter nonsense. There are many projects that need to be given a few bob here and there. We have people today from all over Ireland asking about the Tús schemes and the rural social schemes. Small money in each community would be wonderful but instead there is €5 million for this and that and €50 million for the other and nothing for ordinary people. My two colleagues are bussing people up to Belfast on nearly a weekly basis to get cataracts, knees and hips done. I have a few going up myself. They cannot be done by the HSE here. There is a wonderful local institution in Clogheen in south Tipperary, St. Theresa's Hospital. It is affectionately known as that. The community raised €500,000 over five or six years and the HSE cannot put another €400,000 with it to complete another hospice room and to do the work that HIQA wants. We want to keep that hospital. It is a fabulous step-down facility and many people have recovered. There are many other issues. We met people up there with the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, when he was Minister. I call them the little people, na daoine beaga. They were looking for their treatment but it could not be afforded. The drugs companies were blamed. Where is the Government's moral compass? Is it sitting or standing on it? It is one or the other but it is not in the Government's mind or vision. It has lost it completely. We sent him off out to America and he was an embarrassment. I have no problem with him ringing anybody about planning if we want foreign investment in our country. That is fine. I have a problem with the story he made up. Dúirt bean liom go ndúirt bean léi go raibh fear i gContae an Chláir ag lorg cead pleanála. He did not know what he was saying because he said so much and then he apologised. He cannot be left alone. The Government thought when it got rid of Deputy Enda Kenny that it was safe, that it was in a safe pair of hands. He cannot be let off without his spin machine. He is like a spinning top we had when we were young, on top of the desk at school. It spun off it, spun onto the floor and we were called up to the top of the classroom by the múinteoir for being a buachaill dána. That is what it is like now. The Government keeps using it but it will spin it into oblivion. The Government deserves to be no place else.

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