Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I must put on the record my disgust at the bombing of the children's hospital in Ukraine. It shows the true face of Russian imperialism once again. Ordinary people around the world will feel nothing but disgust for that, and have deep sympathy for the victims. This has nothing in common with the weasel words coming out of the NATO summit from people who are arming a state that is bombing schools and hospitals on a daily basis.

I will now turn to the main point I wish to make today. Reducing the pension age to 60, imposing a wealth tax on the super rich, raising public sector wages, linking salaries to inflation, banning the sale of arms to Israel and mobilising to defeat the far right: this is the programme of the New Popular Front, which won the largest share of the vote in the second round of the French elections. Its victory represents a bruising defeat for the racist far-right National Rally. It also represents a defeat for Emmanuel Macron and his Government of the rich for the rich. It shows how to defeat the far right: a left alternative with radical policies linked to mass mobilisation. I will make the point that this mass mobilisation needs to stay mobilised by building anti-fascist committees in every neighbourhood, school, college and workplace, by challenging the system of the rich, and as a first step by demanding that any new government implements the policy proposals of the New Popular Front. I have gone over my time so I will conclude. Will the Taoiseach comment on how to defeat the far right? I must give my apologies that I have to be elsewhere at 2 p.m. so I will not be able to stay for the reply.

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