Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo. Níl ár gcuid cainte faoi chúrsaí eacnamaíochta tábhachtach muna bhfuil éinne ag éisteacht linn. Is í sin an cheist is tábhachtaí. An bhfuil éinne ag éisteacht linn? Tá cúrsaí eacnamaíochta na tíre pléite againn anseo sa Seanad go mion is go minic. Tá moltaí curtha chun tosaigh ag páirtithe éagsúla, mo phairtí ina measc. Níl an Rialtas ag éisteacht leis na moltaí, nó ag glacadh na moltaí ar bord. Tá polasaí ag Sinn Féin chun an tír seo a chur ag obair arís, mar shampla. Tá moltaí againn chun é sin a bhaint amach. Níl aon cinneadh acu curtha chun tosaigh, nó curtha i bhfeidhm, ag an Rialtas. Tá sé soiléir go bhfuil níos mó daoine ag tarraingt ar na liostaí dífhostaithe, agus iad ag cailleadh a chuid postanna gach seachtain. Níl dabht ar bith ann nach bhfuil straitéis ag an Rialtas seo ó thaobh cúrsaí fostaíochta de. Lig siad don eacnamaíocht dul ar sruth. It is important, therefore, that this issue is debated in the Seanad. I hope those in a position to bring about policy change are listening to what others are saying. Sometimes it is a case of reading the Official Report because much of what is being said was said previously but has fallen on deaf ears.

I want to make a number of points because every time the Government talks about the economy it mentions the Lisbon treaty, which Senator O'Malley mentioned earlier. I raised the issue on the Order of Business because some Senators have spoken about Sinn Féin peddling untruths and they mentioned our party's posters. The reality is that our posters are the only posters which cite the articles in the Lisbon treaty that refer to the issue, whether it is crushing family farms-----