Mattie McGrath Accuses Government of Abandoning Ordinary People
Mattie McGrath criticised the government in the Dáil for failing to oppose private members' motions and accused it of protecting multinationals and energy firms while burdening ordinary people. He argued backbenchers avoid voting, criticised taxation and charges including the carbon tax, and said he may call a vote to expose the practice.
Main criticism of government conduct
He said the government publicly opposes motions in name but will not oppose them in the Dáil, accusing backbenchers of avoiding votes and describing the behaviour as a charade. He accused the government of being in the pockets of multinational and large electricity companies and said that refusal to tackle major firms shifts costs back onto ordinary people.
Concerns about taxes and charges on households
He criticised penal charges, taxation and a carbon tax that he said have been imposed on ordinary people over the last two years. He said the government has removed substance or money from people through those measures while failing to hold big companies to account.
Local tourism and community promotion defended
Speaking after a tourism debate, he defended promotion of local areas and volunteer projects and said those efforts should not be lectured about. He thanked Dr. Michael Healy-Rey and rejected comments from Dr. Louise O'Reilly about how deputies speak up for their communities.
Intention to force a vote to 'expose the charade'
He called the practice of accepting motions without calling votes "shameful" and said he intended to call a vote the following night to expose the avoidance. He described the situation in the Dáil over the past year and a half as "disgusting" and said it shows a loss of respect for ordinary people.
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I want to thank Jim Fein for this motion here tonight and I want to also say how this weary and tired I am of the government not opposing these motions. They are opposing them in name and actions but they just won't oppose them here in the Dáil because they have the moral courage to get your backbenchers in here that are literally you know I hate using the words and screwing the people that's what's happening and your backbenchers won't turn up and vote for because their interpretation of the people they're going to meet out there it's sickening you've lost the will really to live and you mightn't have in your Green Party but your colleagues in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and the so called independent backbenchers that are supporting you have because the people are in anguish or in awe and you're throwing out substance or money that you've taken off them in penal charges over the last two years by your direct actions and the taxation and the exercise and the carbon tax you put on those people so you have no respect for the ordinary people all the while you allowed the multinational and the big ESB electric companies and all gout and gout and gout because you're in their pocket you're in their pockets as far as I'm concerned and that's the kernel of the problem here you won't tackle the condolomers you won't tackle CRH Roadstone you'll put everything back on the ordinary people so I think it's shameful and it's more than shameful that you won't call a vote but I intend maybe tomorrow night to call a vote because expose the charade that you're at here night after night accepting motions but not going to hand about them only this is a horrible thing that crept into this doll here in the last year and a half or so it's disgusting can I also say and it's not a criticism of the lads that are here but we spoke tonight on tourism and Minister Martin to be fair to compliment us on promoting our own areas and talking about the good projects and the volunteer projects we'll take no lecture from Dr. Louise O'Reilly about speaking up for our own place and being positive about the community groups knocked me down active and other ones that I mentioned so how dare she well everybody in Titan here with the vision of the chair to speak our reins and we take no lectures from any deputy especially Louis O'Reilly thank you Dr. Michael Healy-Rey
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