Richard Boyd Barrett
Dún Laoghaire · People Before Profit-Solidarity · Ireland
“It is absolutely incredible that about 50% to 57% of all professional artists in this country live on or below the poverty line - three times the level of poverty in Irish society generally.”
“On a global level, the consumption of electricity by data centres is due to go up elevenfold by 2030. They are hoovering up the water resources and electricity resources of the planet. There will not be much human creativity, art or music if we have no water and no energy. That is what is going on with these people.”
“St. Joseph's Centre in Shankill is the largest care home dedicated solely to dementia care in the country. SIPTU members feel compelled to take industrial action tomorrow because of the failure of St. John of God's to recognise the work and duties that they do.”
“These people actually want to replace human beings and human creativity with AI. That would literally be the road to disaster for humanity. Some people think about AI as if it is cutting edge and the most advanced thing possible, but AI is like the Neanderthal.”
“Against that background, we are seeing these billionaires who run AI looking to steal en masse all of the artistic and creative output of humanity and to profit from it. The artists rightly are asking what the Government is going to do to prevent them making a bad situation for most artists and performers even worse.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for bringing this motion forward. As Deputy Paul Murphy indicated, People Before Profit is very happy to support and commend all the artists, organisations, musicians and so on who are campaigning to bring this forward.”
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“A Cheann Comhairle, I thank you for your efforts overnight to try to resolve this issue. We want to state for the record that we were not in any way trying to obstruct the nomination of the Taoiseach or the establishment of the Government. Our concern, and we are glad that the Government has now finally acknowledged it, is that there has to be a clear distinction between those TDs who are in government and those who are in opposition. If the Government is as good as its word and honours the commitment now made, that there will be a resolution that is mutually acceptable to the Government and the Opposition, then that matter can be put to bed.”
“I have just one question. We asked for the OPLA's advice and the legal advice you were given. You committed to doing that. Can you tell us when the Opposition and the Business Committee will see the legal advice that led you to make your provisional decision?”
“This is more stroke politics from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in disguise as Independent Deputies.”
“There is no reason questions could not be answered on the programme for Government that has been negotiated for weeks. We have then taken the art of speaking out of the two sides of your mouth to a new and higher level. People are pretending to be Independent Deputies but are actually propping up Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. They are Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in disguise and, in reality, want to be in the Government, supporting it, endorsing the programme for Government. They are writers of the programme for Government while they are then pretending to be in the Opposition. They are undermining not just the Opposition but the right of the people of this country to have a strong Opposition and to hold this Government to account.”
“Deputy Tóibín is in a technical group with people who are actually in the Government and have undoubtedly gone along with this charade, which is going to mean that, effectively, we have had no Dáil for three months. This is at a time when hundreds of thousands of people out there need answers and action from the Government to address their housing situation and issues like disability. Hundreds of thousands of health workers have also balloted for industrial action because of the understaffing of the health service, while section 39 workers are balloting for industrial action because they are being treated so unfairly and unequally. Yet the Government wants more time off. Why will we not be discussing the programme for Government next week?”