MEP told to leave Rehn briefing

Irish Socialist Party member of the European parliament Paul Murphy was asked to leave a briefing with EU economics commissioner Olli Rehn in Strasbourg this afternoon.

Mr Murphy (27) took Joe Higgins's seat in the European Parliament after Mr Higgins was elected to the Dáil in the Dublin West constituency in the recent general election.

Mr Murphy, a UCD law graduate, criticised other Irish members of parliament he said supported the confidential nature of the meeting which was due to discuss the economic situation in Ireland.

"People in Ireland are being hammered by the austerity policies dictated by the European Commission, the ECB and the IMF. It is outrageous to suggest that they do not have a right to know about the plans of the Commission," Mr Murphy said afterwards.

"I wanted to stay in the meeting to argue against the austerity medicine being forced down workers' throats, but I was not willing to accept the condition that I could not reveal to people in Ireland what the Commissioner had to say. On that basis, Mr. Rehn asked me to leave. Disgracefully, the other Irish MEPs agreed that the meeting should be confidential," he added.

Mr Murphy said workers, young people, pensioners and the unemployed are being forced to pay for the losses of the European banks and speculators.

Mr Higgins walked out of a meeting with Mr Rehn in November when he objected to the confidential nature of the meeting. The Dublin MEP said it was "simply not acceptable" that Mr Rehn would impart "some secret information that MEPs are supposed to keep secret".

"This policy needs to be fought by building a mass movement of opposition,“ he said.