What I've been saying

The Government’s response to the national economic collapse and the consequent jobs crises has lacked urgency, focus and a clear sense of direction. It has failed to properly communicate a sense that it understands the scale of the crises, that it has a clear plan to address the challenges we as a nation face and that it possesses both the conviction and the skills to implement its plans.

The Government’s response to the national economic collapse and the consequent jobs crises has lacked urgency, focus and a clear sense of direction. It has failed to properly communicate a sense that it understands the scale of the crises, that it has a clear plan to address the challenges we as a nation face and that it possesses both the conviction and the skills to implement its plans.

Like the child benefit issue there is an important principle at stake in the broadband debate: that of universality. It is not the mark of a society which takes democratic principles seriously to ignore either the welfare of children, in terms of child benefit, or the geographically and economically marginalised, in terms or rural broadband services.

Although the general idea of a NAMA type organisation makes economic sense, it is unfortunate that the political vision behind it failed to realise the scale of the resources needed to deal with the estimated 90 billion toxic loans. The reality of the situation is that NAMA was dreamt up without due consideration given to structural considerations.

The great American Liberal Jim Hightower once said that that is was still possible to make a small fortune in farming. The trouble was that you needed to start out with a large fortune. It is a sentiment that any dairy farmer would agree with. This year sees milk prices plunge to 1983 prices while supermarket prices remain at 2009 levels. According to the IFA farmers are now selling milk at between 4 to 7 cents less than the cost of production. A typical milk producer who produces 250,000 litres of milk can expect to end the year with a loss of at least €18,000. Such losses are simply unsustainable, and will lead to an exodus from milk production in Ireland.

Ba bhreá liom i dtosach báire fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit. Is minic a deirtear faoi saol na parlaiminte gur rud fíor-thábhachtach é go mbeadh daoine ann le scileanna agus taithí difriúla ar gnéithe den tsaoil. Is cinnte gur maith an rud é go bhfuil duine ar nós an Aire Stáit freagrach as an réimse seo, mar níl aon amhras nach amháin go bhfuil an suim aige ins an ábhar ach go bhfuil an t-eolas agus an cur chuige aige freisin agus tréisigh mé leis de bharr sin.