Mattie McGrath Demands International Probe into COVID Handling
Mattie McGrath criticised the government's handling of COVID-19, accusing ministers of prioritising a green agenda over economic recovery and aviation jobs. He called for an international investigation into pandemic decisions, demanded accountability, and urged reopening to restore connectivity and employment.
Criticism of government handling
McGrath accused the minister and government of having no plan or road map, claiming they were disinterested and more concerned with pushing a "utopian green agenda." He described some in government as "narcissists" and said they had terrorised people with heavy-handed measures.
Support for aviation workers and regional connectivity
He praised pilots and staff at Aer Lingus and Ryanair, saluted airport workers, and warned that regional airports such as Shannon, Cork, Knock and others faced damage. McGrath emphasised the importance of connectivity for places like Donegal, Kerry and West Cork and criticised perceived Dublin-centric investment.
Economic impact and recovery concerns
McGrath warned the economy was not recovering, citing insurance companies and banks not supporting businesses and the IMF figure mentioned in his remarks about costs. He argued the minister for transport was not focused on jobs or economic recovery and raised concerns about decisions being made by an advisory climate council that could bypass parliament.
Call for international investigation and accountability
He demanded an independent international inquiry into the handling of Covid in Ireland, citing nursing-home and hospital tragedies and alleging mistreatment and lack of transparency. He said medical professionals had contacted him calling for such an investigation and insisted accountability was needed to restore honesty and public trust.
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The Minister himself is not here. I listened to a debate on Saturday and I heard Sean Fleming, who I greatly respect on behalf of the government and other people involved in the air industry and the aviation industry and I heard Michael O'Leary on a phone call then. Like him on Lumpum, he talks huge since and he just said that unfortunately Minister Ryan has no plan, no road map, disinterested. He's more concerned, with pushing and forcing through his utopian green agenda. We saw that last night. So I just want to ask, and I have no disrespect to Minister Hildegard in Auckland, but the wonderful pilots that we met out here week after week are from Aer Lingus, and the pilots and staff at Ryanair, I salute them, and Stubbert here, and indeed the former here, Seanadour Party of Canada, the way he started off that airport. But look, our country's been ravaged. We were meant to be ravaged by plague, but now it's been ravaged by Mesos Houlihan and his cabal, and the government is standing idle by bystanders, simply innocent bystanders. You think that they were asleep. They're in some kind of a trance. We had 67. One is too many to be in hospital sick. We had 67 patients in hospital on Monday, supposedly with COVID. 23 of those were in ICU, and I wish them all had a recovery. We were told, and I remember being at the first meetings in cabinet buildings, we were all shocked and frightened. We were told the doomsday situation, but thankfully, and I salute everybody who worked in it, and I sympathise with anyone that lost their life, and indeed got seriously injured with it. But now, it gets weird here. What kind of a grip have these people? They're narcissists, some of them. That's what they are. And they've terrorised the people for long enough. Now they want to browbeat them to hell or to Connacht. We had a lovely airport knock, and doubt that'll be destroyed. Shannon has been elected for decades, and Dublin has been just confused and bulldozed more money into it, and you know, everything is about Dublin. Would you blame people out there for being conspiracy theorists when they see what's going on? Educated people watching on and see, as I said, an effort running the country. Now we're going to have an advisory, a climate council, who will make decisions and advise the minister, and he'll make decisions, bypassing this house. Why are we paying 27,000 a day for this building, or maintaining the building that the people of 1916 and 21 and 22 and 23 fought for, and our first constitution, when it's been trodden on? What's going on here? Like, we're so proud of our green Aer Lingus planes, and the Scalin staff. I listen to many of them on air, with my deputy McNamara and others here, on Zoom calls, literally telling us they moved down from Dublin to be back in their country, living there now 20 years, and now being forced back to hell, or to go anywhere they like. But with a minister for transport, who is not interested in their jobs, he's not interested in recovering economy. The IMF are saying now that it costs 20 billion per annum to pay for what we were put to last night, forced to without debate. And where are we going to get the money to recover our aviation industry? And all the associated industries. Neither should God be good to Pat the Cope Gallagher or the former Les Cancola, but he's alive and well and kicking. He always used and boasted about the planes to Donegal, and the connectivity with Dublin, and connectivity with Cork, and with Shannon, and with Knock, and with any place else. And those people are entitled to that modicum of service, but above all we're entitled to have our economy recover. And there's no sign of recovering, because the insurance companies aren't paying out anybody, the banks aren't loaning any money, and indeed we have all the cabals that you like, with regulators, they're all just letting things drift on along, nobody is forced to have accountability. We need an international investigation about the handling of Covid in Ireland. Not another cloak and dagger session here now, we need independent people from abroad to come in. And if it takes, if it takes that, we have to have it, I don't know how we're going to get it, but we have to have it to get honesty, and get answers, and get information on how people are mistreated, and how all the people literally were slaughtered in the nursing homes and picked it up in the hospitals. It's been shocking indictment, and it's going on and on 15 months later, and no sign of it being lifted or changed. So we need accountability here. How we're going to get it, I don't know, but nothing short of an international investigation of the handling of it. And I have medical people ringing me, demanding that. Because what's going on, and the intimidation of anyone who speaks out and everything, or ask a question, they're all conspiracy theorists, and they're all, they're not wearing the green jersey. The Minister for Transport is not wearing the green jersey. The government, the Taoiseach, and the Tornister, and the Cabinet aren't wearing the green jersey. Are you too, Minister Nocturne, you're not wearing the green jersey. Let our people live, open up the country, and let us do what we're best at doing, entertaining people who come in here, and they come to visit us, and let the place like Kerry in West Cork, and Cork airport again, they're going to be paying the runway now. They couldn't do it if I had COVID was there. Jersey or no jersey. I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. I'm sorry. Are you choked up a disgrace? Jersey or no jersey?
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