Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's forbearance. I was trying to watch the clock and I missed it. On 9 May, the EU celebrates Europe Day. It is the anniversary of the historic Schuman declaration in 1950. This day is a testament to the EU's remarkable achievements in fostering unity and maintaining long-term peace. As we approach the European elections on 6 to 9 June 2024, the European Parliament is extending an invitation to participate in engaging events across Europe. This year, the focus is not just on celebration but also on reflection and dialogue about the future of Europe. Certainly, that is what is so badly needed. So many people are disenfranchised. Hopefully they will come out and cast their votes. A lot of them are very reluctant to even engage or talk about it. They feel there is a major overreach. We have an MEP, Seán Kelly of Fine Gael, telling us that 75% or 80% of the regulations governing us now are made in Europe. It is intolerable, unacceptable and questionable how that could be. They are the words from a Fine Gael MEP. We know it.

People here are being driven into the ground with regulation. We have rules and regulations. Ar an gcéad dul síos I will go back to the bailout. What our European partners did to us was daylight robbery. They forced us to pay almost 6% interest when the IMF gave us money for less than 3%. Where were our friends? Remember they had banks shovelling money in here. Then our Government here, inept as it was, and our officials left them off without even claiming their bonds. That was bad enough. Where was the statesmanship then and the support for colleagues? It was not there.

Since then it has gone from bad to worse. We now have the EU migration pact. We are told it is eight years in gestation in Brussels and at the EU Commission. Here we are expected in this camp to be good nodding boys in Europe, to say we will pass it here in a month, no debate, no scrutiny. In fairness to Europe, they had six different debates and six votes on segments of it. We are going to pass it all in one. We have a Tánaiste ringing over to Brussels. We will not even look for money now. The European resilience fund is there to deal with the migrant situation, we have not even applied for it. We did up to 2021 but since then we have not. The Tánaiste, Taoiseach and others want to go up and say we are the good boys of Europe, we will do whatever you want, we will not even ask for money for it. We will penalise our own people. It is time we had a reflection.

I am sick and tired of listening to Deputies all day here talking about the far right. They are ordinary people that have been pushed too far. They have been pushed and pushed and are trying to make ends meet. Ye are here demonising them, with the media, all the media in unison passing the one thing. It is time that we gave respect and recognition to the ordinary people of Ireland and time we had a major recheck. You have destroyed our fishing and our farming and everything else as well.

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