The war on the elderly, sick, bereaved, disabled, young unemployed people & women goes on. Profits, wealth and high earnings left untouched again.
Responding the the budget speeches by Ministers Noonan and Howlin Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins said:
“Budget 2014 marks the continuation of the war on the elderly, sick, disabled, bereaved, women and young unemployed people. Life will be made harder and more miserable for hundreds of thousands by the choices made and the choices not made by this government today.
“Beneath the usual boast of protecting headline rates of social welfare we have yet again the chipping away of various rights and benefits including maternity benefit, adoptive benefit, the bereavement grant, the telephone allowance, prescription charges and illness benefit.
“As we emphasised in our pre budget statement austerity is a policy choice and it comes as no surprise to us that the government choose not to tax private wealth, high earners and multinational profits and to prioritise the ongoing payment of odious debts over the living standards of ordinary people.
Paul Murphy MEP added:
“The extension of the €100 rate of Job Seekers Allowance for young unemployed people is a calculated demonstration of contempt by this government for the youth of this country who are leaving this country in droves.
“Again, despite a collapse in private sector investment that by the IMF’s own estimates won’t recover to pre-crisis levels this decade the Minister announces paltry measures that we are told will stimulate job creation by the small and medium business sector. This is not a serious approach to the unemployment crisis.
“The likely exit by Ireland from Troika supervision in December does not spell the end of austerity or undemocratic ‘supervision’ by unelected austerity hawks if this government has its way. Working class people if they get organised can avert the austerity if they get active, struggle, protest and target the government politicians and Labour in particular for political pressure. The Socialist Party will play its part in assisting such a fightback.”
