Mattie McGrath Blasts Ministers Over 600 Business Closures
Mattie McGrath criticised recent business closures and alleged wasteful ministerial spending. He said 600 businesses have closed in the last 15 months, named Richard Leeson and Michael Foley among affected publicans, and attacked reviews and reports as ineffective.
Business closures
Mattie McGrath said 600 premises have shut in the last 15 months and singled out publicans present at a meeting, including Richard Leeson, the Vintners' representative, and Michael Foley, who run two establishments in Tronmel and Castell. He described the closures as a sign that "you cannot see the writing on the wall" and said workers and business owners had been directly affected.
Housing and homelessness
He expressed sadness that people who faced homelessness had to come to raise their concerns in person. McGrath criticised what he called overruns in apartments and the failure to properly address housing problems, calling the situation a "shocking disgrace".
Criticism of reviews and spending
McGrath attacked proposals for reviews and committees, calling them election gimmicks and accusing ministers of doing nothing substantive. He claimed large sums were being spent on investigations and propaganda, citing the figure of "750 million to sell propaganda for ye," and accused those responsible of wasting taxpayers' money.
Electoral warning and accusations
He warned that if voters returned the same politicians at the next election he would "give up," accusing them of fooling the public and robbing taxpayers. McGrath went as far as to say it was "shocking" that those in charge should be "charged, actually, and arraigned for fraud" over their handling of public funds.
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I'd like to meet Richard Leeson, who's the Vintners Rep and Michael Foley, who's one of his bar in Castell, they run two fabulous establishments, one in Tronmel and one in Castell, and indeed the other publicans and the other people who were there yesterday. Minister 600 have closed, what more did you want? And it caps it all then for those people going homeless and I was saddened that they had to come here in the first place to see a billing, you found a billing, to block holes again that your apartments had wasted, overruns in your apartments in a supplementary escort, it's a shocking disgrace, and if those people go in and vote for you again, in the next election, I give up because it's pure, if you can fool them like that and rob them and rob the people's taxpayers, their taxpayers money and such wasteful carry-on is unbelievable. They came up using their hundreds, workers and indeed company owners. 600 have closed, as I said, in the last 15 months. Can you not see the writing on the wall? And for Michael Martin to come out now and say, Deputy Martin to say, we must review it now. If that was an election gimmick, like the bright government, I never know. That's the best thing he's had all his life, he's setting up reviews, and committees to investigate stuff, and do nothing. He goes down in history, he's doing nothing, tar shuck, tea shuck, and minister. Do nothing. Set up this report, that report, give the light in two to another million euros to have an investigate in tar tea, and then you give them 750 million to sell propaganda for ye. It's shocking that you should be charged, actually, and arraigned for fraud in what you're doing, in wasting taxpayers' money.
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