Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will start by echoing Deputy McGuinness's comments on foster parents and how they have been left behind in this budget. Much was made of the fact that they are getting a double payment for Christmas but that is really a drop in the ocean when compared with the costs foster parents pay to look after children, providing a very valuable service for the State. They should be recognised for that and it is symptomatic that they have not been.

I will talk in general about what could change rather than about specifics within the budget. What is most disappointing about this budget is not the budget itself, as unimaginative and predictable as it was, but the complete lack of ambition and creativity of some on the Opposition benches in their responses to the budget since Tuesday. It is clear that the Government and some parties are tying themselves to arbitrary constraints determined by Government and the move to the centre by some parties to meet these arbitrary constraints is particularly disappointing. The reality is that, if we are going to deliver the change that this country so desperately needs, we need to completely break down and restructure entire Departments and entire systems. This is something that cannot be done bit by bit. It requires complete and total reform from local level to national level and all the way to the EU.

In the time I have, I will put forward an alternative for the people of Ireland, many of whom are disappointed with this year’s budget and alternative budgets and are looking for more than a few one-off payments, meagre social welfare increases and low housing targets. People are looking for a functioning society and to feel like they are actually living in the booming economy they are told they are living in, although they see absolutely no proof of it.

This needs to start at local level. Article 28A of the Constitution outlines that the State recognises the role that local government plays in being a democratic representation of the local communities. However, it is vague in what its active purpose is and what powers it has. I propose that a key element of building a new foundation for Ireland will be the enactment of legislation to alter the current dynamic within our local government.

We have one of the weakest local government systems in the world. Within councils themselves, councillors, the democratic representatives of local communities, hold very little decision-making power. Almost all key decisions are made by unelected officials. This needs to change, with the elected councillors being afforded more decision-making power. This would mean that local communities would have more say in the outcomes of local government decisions. We need to empower communities at a grassroots level and I believe that overhauling the current local government system would encourage greater civic engagement.

It is also important that local government is given greater autonomy. Councils are best suited to make important decisions for local communities rather than national governments. Areas such as rural development, housing and the arts should be the responsibility of councils. Issues such as mica are better understood and could be better addressed by councils, and particularly councillors, if they had a bigger role in dealing with local issues.

Additionally, it is naïve to ignore the conversation regarding a united Ireland. Devolving more power from Government to local government would allow local authority areas to address their respective needs and maintain their respective identities. This would allow for a smoother transition into a united Ireland and would make the prospect far more attractive and accommodating for those who are nervous about the idea. We need to be realistic in planning for this.

This devolution of power needs to come hand-in-hand with the creation of State-owned public services. This includes a State-owned construction company to ensure that housing needs are met; a State-owned energy company, similar to the successful Norwegian model; a free universal childcare system, such as exists in Finland; a free transport system, such as that seen in Luxembourg; and a fully functioning public healthcare system, the creation of which would start with collaboration with Cuba to send doctors to Ireland to relieve current pressures on the health service, which the Government has continued to ignore, which would allow us to rebuild that service. Nationalising services like these will create skilled jobs and ample employment, aid the economy and the environment, provide better services for our disabled community and all our citizens and allow Ireland to stand as an international model for other nations.

In order for a totally new and nationalised system to work, we also need to completely overhaul our Civil Service and our Departments. They are clearly inefficient and ineffective. Too much focus on budgets and not enough acknowledgment of the holistic nature of issues means that citizens trying to avail of services and support are left stranded. To take the Department of Justice for example. There is an urgent need for greater independence for both the Prison Service and An Garda Síochána but this cannot happen without significant structural change within the Department and the Civil Service. This cannot happen in a vacuum. Due to the interdepartmental nature of many issues, change needs to occur right across Departments and right to the top. The Attorney General holds an unelected position and, according to the Constitution, is supposed to be independent.

How can a person who is appointed by the Taoiseach and who has no obligation to publish or report the advice given to the Government be independent? We need greater transparency in respect of the Attorney General for a start.

On industry issues such as in fishing and agriculture, these need to be addressed not only at national level, but at EU level too. Addressing issues within the fishing industry and establishing a new foundation for Ireland cannot occur without a conversation around our sovereignty and our position within the EU. We recently saw a threat to our sovereignty posed by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. Many of the policies imposed on us by the EU in the context of fishing have caused stagnation and much harm in these sectors, and on our agricultural and fishing communities. In order to ensure complete structural change, we need to reconsider our position within the EU. I am not suggesting creating a position outside of it, but I am certainly suggesting renegotiating our position within it.

In establishing our new place within Europe, it would also give us an opportunity to re-establish our neutrality and our position internationally. Protecting our neutrality allows Ireland to protect the oppressed, and that is priceless. Ireland could serve as an important link between Europe and the Third World. I was very disappointed when I discovered that the amount allocated for overseas aid in Tuesday’s budget was not as generous as it first seemed, given that it includes money paid to hotels in Ireland that provide accommodation for asylum seekers. We need to do far better on overseas development and our international obligations.

This is my view for an alternative Ireland, outside the arbitrary constraints that this Government has led us to believe are immovable. It is an Ireland that is functioning and fair and a leader in development, sustainability and equality. We are a nation capable of more than our previous Governments have allowed us to believe. The time for the foundation of that Ireland is now.

See this speech in context