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‘YOU ARE TRYING to defend the indefensible.” Those were the words of Kerry TD Michael Healy Rae during a debate on the Mercosur trade deal today.
During Leaders’ Questions, members of the opposition rounded on Communications Minister Richard Bruton, who was standing in for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today.
Last week, the European Union announced that it had agreed its biggest ever trade agreement with the bloc of South American countries known as Mercosur.
The agreement was reached after two decades of negotiations, and is expected to remove more than 90% of agricultural and industrial tariffs on both sides.
It could save European companies billions of Euro in trade duties every year, but not everyone is happy about it.
A Government minister, opposition TDs, farming lobbyists and environmental groups have all criticised the deal, and the Government is facing pressure to vote against it when the agreement eventually comes before the EU Trade Council.
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed said over the weekend that he is “very concerned” about the potential impact on Irish beef farmers of the new trade deal.
‘Ivory towers’
“It is actually crazy what is being proposed,” Healy Rae told the Dáil today
He told ministers across the chamber to get out of their “ivory towers” and to talk to Irish farming families.
Healy Rae told Bruton that he was “trying to sell the unsellable” after the minister said there were opportunities as well as threats in the proposed deal.
The Kerry TD said farmers will get “poorer and poorer” under the deal until they are no longer in existence.
He hit out against the minister asking him how Bruton could seriously stand up in front of the Dail as a well-respected politician and attempt to take the “sting out of” the announcement.
“How in the name of God can you and your government justify it,” he added.
“I’m pleading with you to wake up,” said Healy Rae, who called on the Irish government to come to the defence of the Irish farmers.
Bruton said many of the same people criticising the trade deal also spoke out against the EU trade deal with Canada (CETA), adding that it has proved beneficial.
‘Not a perfect deal’
“I’m not saying this is a perfect deal by any means,” said the minister, adding that the deal needs to be assessed before any judgement is made on it.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin as well as Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald also criticised the trade deal.
Martin said the deal flew in the face of the climate change initiatives the EU is pushing, stating that European leaders saying they are committed to the Paris Agreement “means nothing” in light of this deal.
The Sinn Féin leader said the minister had made a very “lame effort” to defend the Mercosur trade deal agreement.
A number of TDs were unhappy with the time set aside to debate the new trade deal, with some suggestions that the Dáil could sit this Friday or a day into the summer break to debate the impact on Irish farmers.
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“You’re trying to defend the indefensible” isn’t that what he did when John Deleany was in front of the Oireachtas Committee
@themansam: perhaps, but at least he has the balls to speak up for what he believes is right or wrong….. even if he knows his opinion will attract silly and snide comments online.
You don’t have to agree with him but if you’re in trouble I’d say he’d be a good man to have in your corner!
@Dec: he doesn’t believe in anything except getting votes and going to 5 funerals a day
@Dec: do you think he was right to not ask the appropriate questions of Delaney? He was blowing wind up his skirt after Deleany make a mockery of the committee by turning up and refusing to answer any questions
@themansam: my point wasn’t whether I thought he was right or wrong, my point was that he had the couage to speak out on something that he obviously thought was right even though it was an opinion different to a lot of the main stream, populist commentary. It’s also interesting how the article covers more on his opinions than that of the opinions of the second and third biggest political parties in the country.
What would yeah lads know hiding behind your fake names on the journal, he’s the only man that will stand up and fight for the people that elected him
@Paul Carew: yeah but he’s meant to act in the interest of the country
@James Wallace: no he’s not. Why do you think we have constituencies? He’s not a minister of state, his role is to represent the interests of his constituents.
@winston smith: his role us to legislate for the country as a whole.
@James Wallace: he’s not legislating, he’s lobbying, and doing so well n behalf of his constituents. Which is the role he was elected to perform.
@James Wallace: exactly. He’s a TD not a county councillor.
@John O’Keeffe: elected by who??? South County Dublin or South Kerry ???
And by the way I’m not saying he’s entirely wrong in this instance, it is a bad deal on several levels.
@Walter Obrien: haha yes, well Kilgarvan anyway….
@winston smith: I really don’t think you know what a TD does. You have to uphold the constitution and act in the best interests of the country. Can you imagine the chaos if every TD acted for their own vested interests and nothing else. That’s what this TD is doing.
@Renton Burke: the below is what I think a TD does. Pay particular attention to the last sentence of the opening and third paragraphs. This is really basic stuff that every citizen should fully understand.
@James Wallace: hes acting on behalf of the people who elected ..same as every other elected TD should be doing but aren’t.
@James Wallace: in this instance, his comments may well be in the best best interests of the country……?
@Paul Carew: where’s your face Paul? Behind a child and woman!
@James Wallace: well said James!
@James Wallace: that’d be the governments job. He sits on the opposition benches.
@Seamus Murphy: the function of the Dail is to legislate for the entire nation and as a TD that’s your job, irrespective of where you sit. It’s certainly not a workplace for glorified messenger boys to run errands for their constituents.
Says the man in the Ivory Tower..
@Bewarethebeardz: surely tis God above that controls trade deals same as he does the weather.
I’m with Michael on this one. In one breath I may give out about Irish cattle farms taking away native forests but Irish cattle farmers are generally very good with their animals and the beef a good product for beef eaters. But South American, particularly Brazilian, is cheap rain forest clearance production beef, the stuff that is bought cheap in Aldi etc. Not good!
Though there may be environmental challenges from beef here in Ireland too, here’s to Micheal speaking in support of Irish farmers above South American ones, the least of the environmental challenges, a better beef, and essential rural Ireland support.
@WoodlandBard: Aldi Meat is 100% Irish. https://www.aldi.ie/love-ireland
@WoodlandBard: He’s an embarrassment. The licking of John Delaney’s brown star was world class cringe..
@BDEB: thanks for correction, I may be out of line not being a beef buyer, so this is good to know … but if this trade deal happens how long will Aldi and others be able to hold the 100% promise?
@Bewarethebeardz: far from an embarrassment… he stands up for the people in his own constituency.. many a constituency would love to have guys like him in their corner.
@John Willmott: this is only for 1% of European beef. It will make no impact to any national programs by bord bia, and all supermarkets who want to proudly stock Irish beef.
@WoodlandBard: try doing a bit of shopping in Aldi, etc.and you’ll see where your beef comes from!
@BDEB: their fresh meat is irish, as is Lidl’s. But a lot of their processed meats, like chicken Kiev et and frozen meat joints, are not.
@WoodlandBard: your wrong
All of Aldi’s fresh poultry, beef, pork and lamb is 100% traceable and sourced exclusively from Republic of Ireland farms certified under the Bord Bia scheme. Aldi has tripled its annual spend on Irish products over the past five years, helping maintain over 22,000 jobs across the Irish food industry.
Source.. an bord bia
The main beneficiaries are German and French industries which have been lobbying for this deal for over 20 years as it reduces tariffs on cars etc. South American beef is not treated as well as Irish beef ie use of antibiotics/traceability etc. Fine Gael will follow whatever instructions Merkel gives them ….they no longer care about Irish farmers only care about Dublin voters . So much about preaching about car and cow emissions when the rain forest will be butchered by South American farmers .
They’d wanna be doing some work now for their 19% annual pay increases. (4.5% salary, 15% in everything else). The only thing they’re currently doing in the dail is making themselves multimillionaires, they’re doing nothing for the country, just applying tokonistic rent limits and throwing out excuses after the event has happened.
@Adrian: and writing horror novels. https://www.easons.com/time-to-talk-michael-healy-rae-9780717183159
@Adrian: simple maths would tell you that is not a 19.5% pay increase.
@Darius Guppy: TDs’ and senators’ salaries cost €19m last year – a 4.5% increase from 2017 https://jrnl.ie/4705566
Does it not say overall funding increased by 19%? I know thats overall, but add in expenses and pensions, and their real increase is a lot closer to 19% than the 4.5% that they’re trying to fool us with.
This coming from a man who between him and his family they own over 20 houses and most of the village they live in , plus all the government works tendered for and gotten by his brother ,, O and not to forget he’s on the rich list as well ..
@MAX POWER: do you actually have a point here? Would he be a better politician if he was penniless? Or are you just referring to your own begrudgery
Irish beef farmers been sold down the river just so VW can sell cars in Brazil, 1 football pitch every minute is been cut down to allow cattle to graze, this GMO corn fed beef is then shipped over here, and German cars go the other way,
Yet we as regular citizens get a carbon levy forced upon us,
If the EU agree to shipping products to compete with locally produced. Cars to south america or meats to ireland then green policies my arse…..
@Pete Lee: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2016/november/tradoc_155072.pdf
http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2017/april/tradoc_155478.pdf
These are the parts of the trade deal this government are keeping quiet about as well but why???
Take your flat cap off in the house son, where you born in a barn or something? oh wait he probably was with a head like that.
@LUCY Thomas: says the “wan” from Bristol!!! ffs!
@LUCY Thomas: from one of Kerry’s wealthiest families, it is highly unlikely he was born in a barn. He may like to give the impression he is of the people, for the people, but in reality he is feathering the Healy Rae dynasty.
@Walter Obrien: like Dublin a metropolitan and not a back water like “stab city”
@LUCY Thomas: Good girl Lucy Thomas in Bristol . Have you not reached The 21st century over there yet?
@LUCY Thomas: PS don’t get me started on that kip Dublin .
@Darius Guppy: agree, a load of people pleasers.
@Walter Obrien: you are humorous, love big city life love Dublin love bristol. We even have fibre broadband in every home and guess what it’s not hanging from ESB poles!! 21st century ha…
@LUCY Thomas: you probably have mains sewerage also …… badly needed with the amount of slurry coming out of you Cupcake!
@Walter Obrien: no I pay my water charges, went into the billion pound investment that replaced the entire sewage system over something like 4 years, and no flat cappers like “yer self lad” on site. Keep them coming mutton head.
The more I read about Mercosur the more I’m sceptical of it, purely for the climate end of it. What I don’t want however is any more taxpayer money going to subsidise farmers. If you can’t take falling prices then you need to get out of the game.
@Darren Bates: the falling prices in farming have far more to do with EU and government policy than the ineptitude of the farmers. The drive for cheap food on your supermarket shelves has done far more harm to farming than any Mercosur can ever do.
Lads we should sort this out…. But it’s summer holidays
Too late..the eu has spoken
Get down and dirty and sew vegables and let our animals live a happy long life.
@Mary Lyons: How does one “sew vegables” ? ? Please tell me what kind of needle and thread I’ll need! Also tell me where I can find these “vegables”
Family farms do not stand a chance. Getting more convinced that this is part of a concerted plan to make farms into big ranches. It may all blow over unless the masses start eating timber instead of meat!
This man has the IQ of an amoeba.
Has anyone ever heard a Healy Rae support anything or not run anyone down?
Imagine if the healy rae’s were dictators. Drink driving would be a compulsory social behaviour and not a bush left in the country. Maybe we would have to wear leprechaun suits and look for gold under a rainbow due to having a donkey economy.
Sigh!
Sigh!
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