Paul Murphy warns of eco-austerity, two-tier healthcare
Deputy Paul Murphy criticised the incoming government for prioritising the interests of the rich, landlords and big business and warned it will pursue eco-austerity, two-tier healthcare and a worsening housing crisis. He urged the socialist left to build movements in streets, communities and workplaces to oppose higher carbon taxes, demand public housing and fight for an Irish NHS.
Main critique of the incoming government
Paul Murphy argued that the new Taoiseach and ministers will celebrate their elevation but that their programme will quickly be known for eco-austerity and policies favouring the wealthy. He said the government represents the rich, landlords and big business and predicted it will be "a hated government."
Healthcare and private provision
He warned the programme contains a positive reference to maintaining private healthcare rather than committing to a one-tier national health service. Paul Murphy said the pandemic exposed the weakness of the public health system and the possibility of incorporating private provision, but the government chose to continue a two-tier system where the better off get better care.
Housing and reliance on the private sector
On housing, he said the programme continues to rely on the private sector and includes commitments for less public housing than several party manifestos had proposed. Quoting negotiators, he warned that the plan will worsen the homeless crisis rather than solve it.
Pensions and political trajectory
Paul Murphy criticised the handling of the pension age, saying the government is postponing a rise to 67 rather than reducing it to 65, and warned that Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael will continue to push for increases to 67 and then 68. He presented the coalition as a sign of political weakness rather than strength, noting the combined vote of those parties has fallen since 2007.
Left response and a socialist Green New Deal
He called on the socialist left to move beyond speeches in the Dáil and to build mass movements to defeat the government’s plans, oppose a large carbon tax hike, demand public housing and press for an Irish NHS. Paul Murphy said the left should fight for a socialist Green New Deal based on public ownership and democratic control of key sectors to transform lives and avert climate catastrophe.
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Today, the new Taoiseach and the ministers will celebrate their elevation to high office. Tomorrow, and in the weeks and months ahead, your government will become known for eco-austerity, for two-tier healthcare system, and for a worsening housing crisis. A government which represents the rich, the landlords, and big business. It will be a hated government. Remember what dominated during the election. Healthcare, housing, and the pension age. Between the election and now, a pandemic showed us the weakness of our public health system, and the possibility of incorporating the private system. But instead of a commitment to build a one-tier quality national health service, the programme contains a positive reference to maintaining private healthcare. A continuation of two-tier healthcare, with better healthcare for the better off, and worse for the rest. On housing, your programme continues the reliance on the private sector. It's a continuation of rebuilding Ireland. It contains commitments for less building of public housing than was in the Green Manifesto, than was in the Fianna Fáil Manifesto, and even was in the Fianna Gael Manifesto. In the words of one of those who negotiated the programme, it will make the homeless crisis worse. On the pension age, you're kicking the increase to 67 down the road, but it's clear that you won't reduce it to 65, and Fianna Gael will continue to push for it to go up to 67, and then 68. The rise on the socialist left will not just be making speeches of opposition in the Dáil, but it will be building movements of opposition in the streets, in the communities, and in workplaces, to defeat this government's plans for a massively hiked carbon tax, to demand the building of public housing, and the construction of an Irish NHS. Fianna Fáil and Fianna Gael entering government together is not a sign of strength, it's a sign of extreme weakness. It's a last-ditch attempt by the political establishment to hang on to power. In 2007, before the last crisis, the combined vote of FF and FG was almost 70%. Now, as this crisis opens, it's at less than 45%. There's an enormous space in Irish politics for the building of a mass socialist movement. We'll be fighting for a left government to implement a socialist Green New Deal, one based on public ownership and democratic control of the key sections of the economy to transform people's lives for the better and to avoid climate catastrophe.
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