Mattie McGrath spoke on 1 Mar 2023 about credit unions, criticising banks for abandoning customers and opposing 'copper' involvement in credit unions. He praised local credit unions' community support, praised bridging loans, and vowed not to support 'copper' entry.
Praise for local credit unions
Mr McGrath thanked board members, staff and management teams across Tipperary credit unions, naming branches from Calic and Shure to Tlanmel, Caire, Bancha, Alfinan, Hollyford and Turles and northern towns. He said credit unions stepped in where banks retreated, offering small loans, bridging loans and practical help so people could keep houses warm and meet everyday needs.
Criticism of banks and cashless trends
He argued banks have gone automated, with no managers and little privacy for customers, and said the banks have 'abandoned the people' despite past bailouts. He noted Deputy Connan had taken action last year to stop banks going cashless but questioned how long that protection would last.
Opposition to 'copper' involvement
Mr McGrath expressed strong opposition to any provision allowing 'copper' to establish or enter credit unions, saying the word 'copper' frightened him and accusing 'copper' interests of greed. He recalled an attempt to link a local credit union in Clown Mill with Charleyville and Cork against members' wishes, which he said did not go ahead.
Support for local boards and small-business models
He argued for keeping credit unions locally governed by voluntary boards who know their communities, and praised models abroad. He cited Germany and New Zealand as examples, saying 90% of businesses in Germany are small businesses and that profits there go back into communities.
National identity and wider political critique
Mr McGrath warned against corporate influence and referenced orders from WEF and Europe, while also invoking historical figures and the Irish language. He insisted on protecting the community role of credit unions and opposed what he described as repeated attacks on them.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
I would like to pay my rich and fullest compliments to the board members and the staff and management teams at each and every credit union in Tipperary. We start in Calic and Shure, up to Tlanmel, and indeed out to Caire, and on to Tipperary, and even the sub-office in Bancha, and the sub-office in Alfinan, I know Hollyford, and on to Turles, and all the towns up North Tip as well, the work they do, because banks literally don't want people inside of them anymore. The banks have gone automated, they don't want to tell them to meet anybody, you can't find a manager, you can't find anybody else, so the banks have abandoned the people, even though the people are paying with their sweat and blood, and had their blood and taxes, to bail out the banks. It's disgusting the way the banks have treated the people. Yes, Deputy Connan said we did take action last year to stop them going cashless, but for how long? Because their intention is to help with the people, if you're not a plastic card now, or if you're not a number, forget about it. People have to transact business in the banks, a little machine there, no privacy, none whatsoever, and that's the treatment they get. But the credit unions are different. We met the credit union, we invited them to meet our rural independence to help us out with the EU directive scheme, especially if we're going to Belfast, and countless people that have been sent up, and the credit union came on board, and offered that bridging loan, and nobody, I believe, has been refused that. Nobody has been refused to keep their houses warm, keep their houses done up, small loans, and everything else. Something in this bill I don't like is allowing credit unions to provide the establishment of copper credit unions. The word copper frightens me, because we see what copper Ireland has done to the people of this country. We see what copper International has done. We see what has gone on in copper. I would be very dubious and suspicious about the word copper. We were almost forced, in Clown Mill, some years ago, to link up the credit union against the wishes of the members in Clown Mill with Charleyville and Cork. It didn't happen, thankfully, and the local knowledge and people supporting each other, in that colour, the CAILA, the centre of the mill, to keep the corpus out of it. We were in motion before you here to bring in the sprackers and models that they have in Germany, and indeed the Kiwi Bank that they have in New Zealand. But would you want it? No. They are lending to some ordinary people. Every day of the week they lend, and they keep going. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 90% of businesses in Germany are small businesses, and they support them all. And the profits go into the community. But, of course, that wouldn't be doing greedy, copper Ireland, and the men that we celebrate, 100 years, dying, Liam Lynch at the 10th of April, and others that fought for this country. But the copper greed has come in now, and it is an intent against everywhere. So keep them out of the credit union, what I say to you. I will never be supporting annual copper inside for the credit union, and that is one thing that you are certain, because the people in the credit union, and the vision that the boards had, and the managers had, and the friendly staff, and the way they look after the people, and that is what we want. People look after people, and take them out of holes, whether it be a funeral, whether it be a sickness, whether it be a home grading scheme, or whether it be a new car loan, or whatever. Not one of the fancy cars that you are trying to force on people, but an ordinary car. We were told to buy diesel some years ago, and we were told to buy petrol, and now we are told that they are toxic. But the corporate movement moves on. Taking your orders from WEF, taking your orders from Europe, and to hell with Nadine and Ahern. Chalked in the Gaelica. You don't care about our language. Part of the peace of the nation is not a nation without its language. And it is not. But I can tell you, we don't need corporates inside the credit unions. We want the boards to be allowed to work, to give their voluntary time, to give their assessments of knowing the people and their knowledge, and to give their expertise, and their friendly staff. And gawked in a sauce to the legislation. So why break something? This is the total fourth attack that you have had. The banks are jealous of the credit unions, and that is the whole story.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
