ECB scrutiny of Opposition legislation
Deputy Murphy objects to reported ECB attempts to review Opposition legislation; the Taoiseach says Ireland’s sovereign Government is entitled to draft legislation independently.
I refer to the reports that the European Central Bank is seeking to have sight of, and presumably influence over, Opposition legislation in advance of it being discussed and voted on in this House. The European Central Bank is a body with no democratic legitimacy. It is unelected and unaccountable and has played a disgusting role in the course of European crises in various coups in Italy and in Greece. It is reported that the ECB has suggested there would be "potentially very serious consequences" for a failure to comply with its wish to see the legislation. We have no intention of complying with or facilitating the ECB's interference in the democratic process. Is there any proposal for legislation to facilitate the ECB to have access to Opposition legislation in advance of it being discussed and voted on in this House?
Comment on this
This is a sovereign country with a sovereign Government and we are entitled to draft legislation. The changes made here recently allow for that to an even greater extent in terms of proposed legislation from Members of the Opposition as Private Members' Bills. There is no such proposal.