Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Turning to the question of the finance portfolio, we will be voting, for policy and not for personal reasons, against the nomination of Deputy Chambers because we have had more than 100 years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Ministers for Finance. We think they have had their chance and have not delivered, not even when this country has more revenue and is wealthier than it has ever been. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have left us with an absolutely dire housing and homelessness crisis. While they have failed to invest the resources necessary to deliver social and affordable housing, the vulture funds, the corporate landlords and the people who profit from the housing misery of others have enjoyed a bonanza under their Government.

Even if we take the topical issue of RTÉ, a scandal that erupted as a result of the misgovernance and behaviour of a tiny group at the top is now resulting in the axing of decent jobs and, essentially, the privatisation of the public broadcaster because this Government will not finance public service broadcasting by imposing a tax on the profits of the digital companies – the social media companies – that could finance public service broadcasting. Instead, ordinary workers in RTÉ are being asked to, essentially, pay the bill for the bad behaviour and corruption of the public service broadcasting remit of RTÉ by commercial interests. Now, it is those commercial interests that will gain from the scandal we have seen in RTÉ. We believe it is not time to simply change the personalities or the image of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael; it is time for an election to give the people of this country an opportunity to elect a government that is not Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and will stand up for the interests of ordinary working people.

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