Higgins tells communist paper: Cuts can’t return

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins has urged that there should be ‘no return’ to austerity in an interview with a communist newspaper.

Mr Higgins told the Italianlanguage daily Il Manifesto, which describes itself as communist, of his support for ‘universal basic services’ as an economic policy, and warned against going back to austerity.

A spokesman for the President said Mr Higgins gives interviews to Italian media ‘from time to time’ and has spoken about these issues before. But the choice of publication raised a few eyebrows in Leinster House, although many TDs were reluctant to comment fully.

Senator Michael McDowell, former Minister for Justice, said Mr Higgins was allowed constitutionally to make the comments, but added that it was ‘unusual’ for a President to comment on economic policies. However, co-leader of the Social Democrats Róisín Shortall came out in support of the President and said that the economic policies he was promoting were in line with her own party’s.

‘I read his comments and I agree with them,’ she said.’ They are very similar to what we have been saying about avoiding austerity and a repeat of the hardship that was caused to people in the last crisis.

‘We absolutely agree with the social services; that is what the Social Democrats are about.

In the interview, Mr Higgins suggested that Ireland’s response to the public health crisis ‘seems to be bearing fruit’, but warned about the necessity of an all-island approach to avoid ‘serious problems’ going forward.

Referring to austerity measures taken to combat the impact of the financial crash of 2008, he said: ‘The price paid for austerity is a situation that must not come up again.

‘It is time for a paradigm shift, and this change must take place in the streets of Europe.’

‘I am in favour of universal basic services with an income that allows people to live, rather than simply a universal basic income that a system prone to exploitation could abuse.’

‘Seems to be bearing fruit’