Mattie McGrath Condemns 'Green Passports' and Church Restrictions
Mattie McGrath spoke on 30 June 2021, criticising the proposed "green passport" arrangements and accusing the Government of following an external agenda. He called the policy "illogical" and "apartheid", demanded an independent inquiry into Leffert, and complained about restrictions on communions and confirmations.
Green passport criticism
McGrath described the scheme to separate vaccinated and unvaccinated people as "illogical, alarming, the Keynesian and indeed apartheid decision" and said it was "shocking" to see vaccinated people allowed one place while others were left outside.
Allegation of an outside agenda and call for inquiry
He accused the Government of "operating to an agenda" for outside interests and suggested Ministers were acting at the behest of foreign advisers. McGrath asked when there would be an independent inquiry into Leffert and how decisions had been handled abroad.
Concerns about religious ceremonies
McGrath argued that the restrictions were victimising churches and religious communities, saying paperwork did not explicitly ban communions and confirmations yet the Tánaiste had declared they could not go ahead. He referenced bishops and priests who intended to proceed with planned ceremonies and warned of repeated postponements for young people.
Exchange with the Taoiseach on pandemic approach
In response, the Taoiseach said his primary concern was to protect people during a devastating pandemic and rejected the opposition's claims. He accused McGrath of denialism, likening that stance to the "Bolsonaro" and "Trump" approaches to the virus and defended the need for protective measures.
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That's a teacher that has any bit of shame at all, I self-respect. He's told us many time here that he wouldn't have green passports. The illogical alarming, the Keynesian and indeed apartheid decision to have vaccinated people go one place and other people left outside, it's just shocking. And you're operating to an agenda that's clear for everyone to see now. There's not an agenda for the Irish people, it's an agenda for somebody else that you, and if Leffert said jump to the sky, you jump. When are we going to have an independent inquiry into Leffert, from abroad, the way they have handled this, and you just acted at their behest, and why are you victimising the churches once again? No one in your statement yesterday or in the paperwork does it say, communions and confirmations can't go ahead. But yet, the Tarniste, Leakey, the Tarniste, has said that they can't go ahead. And the bishops and priests, and good people, my own father Michael Toomey in Newcastle, is hopefully Bishop Fonzie Cullinan says he's going to go ahead. It doesn't say it in the writing anymore. So are you going to deny these young children, young men and women, their right to have confirmations again, which are planned in many years, and put back three and four times? It's shocking the way you've treated the religious people in this country. Well, at least they're only 60 years for church and state to be segregated. Now you're controlling. Deputy, please, Taoiseach. Deputy, my only concern is to protect people. That's my only concern. My only motivation. I don't want to close anything down. Why would I? Why would anybody want to close anything down? I think the reason is obvious. There's a pandemic, and it has really devastated people's lives. It has caused, nothing ever added up for you during this pandemic, and if we'd taken your advice from the beginning, if I'd taken your advice from the beginning, there'd be far more people dead as a result of the pandemic, and there'd be far more people sick as a result of the pandemic, Deputy. You've been in denial since the beginning of the pandemic. Your approach is the Bolsonaro approach. It's the Trump approach. Denial, denial, denial about the existence of the pandemic. That's your approach. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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