Repudiate the debt, instead of cutting services for the sick and the poor

Press Release

COMMUNIST PARTY OF IRELAND

Press statement

Repudiate the debt, instead of cutting services for the sick and the poor

29 August 2012

The announcement by the HSE—which in fact is a Government decision—that another €130 million in spending will be cut is a direct result of the forced “bail-out.” As its statement makes clear, the HSE “has been set clearly defined budget targets by both the Troika and Government.” This is nothing more than a direct attack on the elderly, the sick, and the poor.

This year alone the government will hand over to international bankers and wealthy individuals nearly €5 billion in servicing the socialised corporate debt, a debt that is not the people’s debt nor their responsibility. The elderly, the sick and the poor are paying a heavy price.

The government are sacrificing our people and the services they rely upon to feed the avaricious greed of international finance capital. We need a change of direction and a new departure from the current failed economic and social strategy, one that will put the people first.