Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I hear the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I do not believe that multi-millionaires should benefit from bailouts paid for by taxpayers. Another man who is also a cofounder of that company - I will not name him - has personal wealth of €96 million. The man who is perhaps the best known beef baron in the country has personal wealth of €820 million. He is knocking on the door of being a billionaire. The company he owns is the 35th largest company in the State. His company was the largest recipient of farm subsidies in the State in 2016 with €431,000. I do not believe that company should receive further subsidies now.

We need the State to act to defend jobs without enriching the owners. This can only be done by nationalising the commanding heights of the agribusiness sector under the control and management of its workforce. State aid can then be democratically controlled to defend the jobs, wages and conditions of 300,000 workers. Given that Friday is international day of action against climate chaos, I make the point in passing that nationalisation of the commanding heights of Irish agribusiness provides the crucial lever needed to begin the switch from beef to a more sustainable form of agriculture. This is necessary given that agriculture accounts for 10% of emissions across the EU but the figure in this country is 33%.

Yesterday, the Tory MP, Charles Walker, said that if this British Government was a horse, it would be taken out and shot. That is a bit hard on the horse but probably not hard enough on the Tory Government. It is not often that I agree with a Tory but in this case I do. Theresa May should go and the entire Tory Government should go with her. It is time for a general election in the UK. Like millions of others, I want to see the Tories replaced with a Corbyn Government. However, Mr. Corbyn needs to stop making concessions to the supporters of capitalism within his ranks. He needs to stand up to the Blairites who are seeking to undermine him in every conceivable way. This is necessary if the British working class is to have a Government which stands up for the interests of the many every bit as much as that Tory Government has stood up for the interests of the few.

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