Call for referendum on Anglo bonds

PROTESTORS and the opposition ratcheted up demands for a referendum on the EU-IMF deal for Ireland, claiming the Government had done a U-turn on its pledge to withhold the payment of €715 million to unsecured bondholders.

There were angry exchanges in the Dáil yesterday after Government parties voted down a debate on the massive payment to Anglo Irish Bank bondholders, prompting Sinn Féin and United Left Alliance TDs to walk out in protest.

Critics of the bond pay-out point to Greece’s decision to hold a referendum on its latest bailout, saying Irish people deserve the right to vote on the EU-IMF deal.