Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

These pre-European Council statements begin at a time when we have nominated a new EU Commissioner, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath. I wish him all the best. We are told that this week is a big week because this is when all of the negotiations and backroom dealing starts. I have heard it reported many times in the media and elsewhere that Ireland hopes to get one of those big jobs. I am really interested in what Ireland has to do in order to achieve that. Although I may move on and speak more broadly, I am referring specifically to the four Fianna Fáil candidates successfully elected as MEPs who stated consistently that they would not vote for Ursula von der Leyen for President of the European Commission if elected. This week, when the Tánaiste, Deputy Martin, was asked whether this would impact Ireland's opportunity to get one of those big jobs, he said that he intends to have a quiet word with his four MEPs or something to that effect. Perhaps he said the quiet part aloud. What does that quiet word consist of? Does it amount to telling these four MEPs who made the somewhat virtuous decision not to vote for Ursula von der Leyen because of the free rein she gave the State of Israel to annihilate Gaza that they must hold their nose and vote for her because we may get one of those big jobs? A more potent example of the 30 pieces of silver I have not seen.

I also note that others of the centre left and further left, including members of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats grouping, say that they too will vote for Ursula von der Leyen in order to hold off a further arc to the far right. I am surprised that members of a grouping of socialists and democrats of the centre left who were also part of that grouping during the period of austerity that absolutely annihilated communities do not recognise that the far right does not have to get its candidates over the line in order to achieve its goals. We are told of the centre holding this time and yet we have witnessed performative violence over the past 12 to 18 months not only throughout Europe, but also here. I refer to the treatment of migrants, the altering of language, the changing of structures and the architectural violence of people who show up at our international protection office being given tents and sent towards the canal, where they pitch those tents in groups, before the State comes in to move them to the foothills of the mountains and erect fencing along a public amenity. Ukrainian women and older people who have come here are given 90 days before they too are out on the street. The far right does not need to get candidates over the line to achieve its aims. To be successful, it just needs people who wear nice suits and who consider themselves sensible to adopt its values in order to hold it off. It is an incredible shame that we continue not to learn those lessons.

I hope Ireland gets a position of influence in the European Commission and that we use it to stand up for what is right such as a fair and decent system of taxation that can alleviate poverty where it exists and accountability for those with whom we make trade agreements with humanitarian clauses built in. I hope that, if we achieve one of those big jobs, it will put us in a position of influence that enables us to hold a state such as Israel to account when it signs up to an agreement that includes a humanitarian clause such as Article 2 and then annihilates a population in the most brutal form and crosses every line including the bombing of hospitals, the killing of aid workers, the targeting of journalists and the absolute obliteration of children. Anything else does not really matter to us at this point. These actions erode the values of the European Union as I, possibly in my naivete, understand them.

The issue of the widening of EU accession is on the agenda again. Aspects of that will be welcome. We should remember that many of our first contributions on pre- and post-European Council statements before Russia's horrific invasion of Ukraine consisted of us raising rule-of-law issues in respect of LGBT exclusion zones and the horrific treatment of women and removal of reproductive rights that was happening in EU member countries. These should be brought back onto the table because we cannot forget the conflicts that are happening in people's everyday lives and in their homes in addition to horrendous invasions and wars against populaces.

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