Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

How did it all go wrong? We had a story in this country of which we could be truly proud with the electrification of our country when times were really tough - Ardnacrusha. We built up an electricity supply sector that was publicly owned and the cheapest in Europe, something of which we could be immensely proud. When liberalisation policies were requested by Europe, we had Thatcherite Governments that could not move quickly enough to sell off the family jewels. Remember when they privatised our services. Today because of those Thatcherite policies by the governments in place at the time, we have the second most expensive electricity in Europe compared to once having the cheapest with a publicly owned supply of which we could have been proud. We just allowed the private energy companies to screw our people again and again.

When the most devastating recent increases were being introduced, incredibly, our Government was reluctant to look at a windfall tax. Sinn Féin called for it again and again. It was ruled out. The then Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, said it would undermine the economy and that it was the wrong thing to do. Then the European Commission moved on it but even when the European Commission moved on it and directed that it needed to happen in solidarity with families and businesses across Europe, our Government dithered and dithered. What is going on? To use the famous phrase, this is supposed to be a Government of the people by the people for the people. How can it be that there is such fear of standing up to profiteering and reckless policies by the energy companies? How can it be that we have no compassion for the stories the Minister of State has heard from this side of this Chamber again and again about the devastating impact of this on families and disgusting increases for something that is essential? It is essential for any family or business to have electricity. We have abandoned this to reckless profiteering and when the opportunity came from the European Commission and governments in other countries that would share the right-of-centre views of the current Government in Ireland, the Government still dithered. Even now, we are not clear about what it is going to do. We know that what is proposing does not go far enough, does not ask enough of the companies involved in this profiteering and does not secure enough revenue for our people and we do not know how the Government is going to disburse that revenue and make sure those who can least afford these increases will be assisted.

We have to make it clear that these were Thatcherite policies. They talk about Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, what they did and their ideology but we have Governments in this country that were called centrist. They were supposedly reasonable pragmatists but, no, we had Thatcherite Governments that sold our natural resources. The reason we are going to look at Corrib is that we handed away our natural resources around our coast. There is a lack of ambition for our people. The Government just hands everything to the private sector and allows it to do what it will. The implications of that ideology, particularly from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, have led to our housing crisis where we abandoned everything to the private sector, institutional investors and profiteers. We are also doing it with energy. This is Thatcherite right-wing ideology that has no ambition for our people and no ambition for our natural resources and ensures naked profiteering and greed win the day. Even when it is dragged kicking and screaming by the European Commission, the Government still dithers.

I look at the Minister of State and I wonder because I do not think that was his view when he entered politics. I do not think he is a Thatcherite but what is he doing in government with people like this? What is he doing voting for policies like this? He has to ask himself that question. There are people in the Green Party who share the vision of those of us on this side of the House. What is the Minister of State doing putting up with this? What is he doing defending and going along with this? He must ask himself that question because he knows in his heart that this was the abandonment of a proud policy and giving in to profiteering and greed. It has to stop some time.

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