Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last night, I spent my time switching between various news channels to watch the greatest bully on the face of the earth deliver additional tariffs. The 104% tariff on China is an example of what happens when a bully is allowed to get away with what he is doing. There is something unseemly about watching news programmes on which spokespersons for the United States say that 70 countries are lining up to negotiate with Donald Trump on the tariff issue. It is wrong in every sense of the word to placate this type of behaviour. Europe should stand strong and we should not be pleading to reduce the impact of tariffs on our country. Ultimately, the people who will suffer, particularly if pharmaceuticals are included, are the sick, especially elderly and extremely young people who are sick. They are going to suffer in the United States.

Already we see cracks in the US Cabinet and between Musk and others within the Trump regime. We cannot allow a bully to dictate to the world. If we look at the history of the world, we can see that America brought about a great depression in 1907. It did so again in 1929, 1974, 2000 and 2008. Who in this room does not remember 2008? What about now? Are we going to allow one of the most indebted countries in the world to dictate to the rest of us how we live? We must stand strong as Europeans. We cannot allow ourselves to be backed into a corner. We must not go cap in hand to somebody who is prepared to destroy the world. A significant number of elderly people have contacted me in the past few days. They are watching their pensions being destroyed. It is just not on.