Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I voted for the bank guarantee - the biggest mistake I ever made - but I did not vote for the bailout because it was not a bailout. It was an absolute clean-out of the Irish people, in which we took on 42% of the total EU debt. As I said to President von der Leyen, major banks and institutions from her country shovelled the money into Ireland and left us to pay back the debt for all the countries. It was the biggest mistake we ever made.

The price cap comes at a time when global oil prices have dropped dramatically due to the weakening global economy, ongoing lockdowns in China and OPEC's decision to maintain steady levels of oil production. We can all see it with our eyes and, thankfully, there is some relief at the pumps. The games are going on but they should be over as far as I am concerned.

Members of the Government will go to the European Council meeting next week and God knows what they will sign up to regarding Ukraine and any other place, with no consultation with the people. However, when they come back and meet the people, beidh siad ag fanacht libh. The people will be waiting in the long grass for them and will teach them that they should be representing the Irish people and not the European globalists.

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