EPP Conference in Dublin exposes Enda kenny’s treacherous priorities and loyalties

PBPA TD joins protest against Europe’s Pro-austerity right

In a statement, Richard Boyd Barrett TD, People Before Profit Alliance has said that the Fine Gael hosted conference in Dublin today of the European People’s Party (EPP), which includes Angela Merkel, Manuel Rahoy and Antonio Samaras, exposes the true loyalties and priorities of Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Fine Gael, as slavish supporters of the European pro-austerity right, rather than representatives of Irish citizens.

Deputy Boyd Barrett said the EPP were the champions of corporate and Banking interests across Europe and the chief architects of the policy adopted by the EU since the 2007/8 financial crisis – to bail-out the banks who caused that crisis and unload its costs on ordinary citizens, particularly in Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

Deputy Boyd Barrett said that Enda Kenny and Fine Gael’s priorities over his three years in government have been set by the political and ideological priorities of the EPP to promote multinational financial and corporate interests and impose crushing austerity on working people and the less well-off.

Deputy Boyd Barrett accused the Taoiseach of “economic treachery bordering on treason” for pursuing the agenda of the EPP at the expense of Irish society.

Deputy Boyd Barrett will join People Before Profit and other anti-austerity activists who are protesting this evening at 6pm outside the EPP conference at the National Convention Centre.

Richard Boyd Barrett said: “At today’s gathering of the EPP, we will see Enda Kenny fete the key architects of the bank bail-out and austerity policy that has caused so much suffering for our citizens. It really exposes our Taoiseach’s true loyalties and priorities. While claiming to represent the people of Ireland with EU leaders, he has in fact been acting as an agent and dancing to the tune of Europe’s pro-austerity right. He is EPP/Fine Gael first and Taoiseach second. It really is economic and political treachery – bordering on treason.

Enda Kenny constantly stated, when he tramped off to EU Council meetings or other EU gatherings over the last three years, that he was championing the interests of Irish citizens and seeking to alleviate the crushing burden of austerity imposed on this country. Today’s gathering of the EPP exposes that lie. Enda Kenny was and is working hand in glove with leaders such as Merkel, Rahoy, Samaras and others – the very people who led the charge in imposing the full-cost of the financial crisis on ordinary people, while insisting that banks were bailed out.

Very often, EU Council meetings would be preceded by meetings of the EPP, where these masters of Europe’s pro-austerity agenda would plan out their strategy and co-ordinate their efforts to shunt the EU ever further in the direction of protecting banks and corporate interests and paying for it with cuts, regressive charges and privatisation.

This conference provides the answer to the question everyone has been scratching their head about: Why did the Irish government never even ask for a write-down on the odious banking debt imposed on our citizens? Answer: because Merkel and Enda Kenny, along with these ideologues of European neoliberalism, saw the financial crisis as huge opportunity to ram through an agenda they have always cherished – to slash wages, social welfare and privatise key resources and services.

They never wanted these odious debts written-down. Instead, they saw the debt crisis as an opportunity to do stuff they have always wanted to do. But the poor, the vulnerable, the homeless, those who have lost their jobs and low and middle income families whose incomes were slashed, have paid a terrible price for this cynical manipulation.”

Article source: http://richardboydbarrett.ie/2014/03/06/pbpa-td-joins-protest-against-europes-pro-austerity-right/