Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this counter-motion of confidence in the Government. There is no doubt that Fianna Fáil and the Green Party had a bad election. However, it would not be in the national interest for the Government to resign now. That would compound the problems facing the country at this time. It is the duty of the Government to take decisions and to govern and not to shirk its responsibilities. By resigning now, the Government would be reneging on its responsibilities.

Any alternative Government which would come to power after a general election would face the same problems which the current Government is facing. It is wishful thinking to say those problems would disappear with a general election.

We all remember the crisis in the public finances in the 1980s. It was not until 1987 that a Fianna Fáil Government came to power, dealt comprehensively with those problems and brought about measures to stimulate economic recovery. The time for action is now. Any undue delay in dealing with the problem in the public finances would be catastrophic. The lessons of the 1980s must be learned. Economic recovery will be delayed by many years if we do not take the necessary action to deal with the current crisis.

Even if the Opposition gets its way and an election is called, there is no guarantee of its outcome. It could produce the uncertainty of a hung Dáil. In the 1980s, there were three general elections in 18 months and no party received a mandate to govern. There is a real danger of a hung Dáil and a repeat of the political uncertainty we experienced then. The last thing the country needs is a general election.

Many of those who make the false claim that the current Taoiseach does not have a mandate belittle, undermine and demean the role of Dáil Éireann, which alone has the authority to elect a Taoiseach. An Taoiseach, Deputy Brian Cowen, is the duly elected Taoiseach of the country and has a mandate to govern. It is amusing to recall that many of those now making those spurious and false claims served in the Deputy John Bruton led Government in the 1990s, which took office mid-way through a Dáil term without recourse to a general election. On the formation of the first Inter-Party Government in 1948, Dáil Éireann elected a Taoiseach who was not leader of one of the contracting parties. If one were to follow the ridiculous reasoning of Deputies on the Opposition benches, one would ask where was the mandate from the people for that Taoiseach given that he did not fight the preceding election as a Taoiseach in waiting. I, like other Deputies, knocked on many doors in recent weeks. The issue raised on doorsteps was not the quality of leadership provided by the Fianna Fáil Party but the absence of real leadership from the Opposition.

I support the motion of confidence in the Government and reject the counter-motion of no confidence tabled by the Fine Gael Party. The Government is taking corrective measures. If Fine Gael and the Labour Party were able to cobble together a coalition Government, it would, by its very nature, be characterised by ideological conflict. Speaker after speaker on the Government side have noted how diametrically opposed are the Opposition parties on fundamental issues of concern, for example, the public finances, banking sector, public sector, health reform and so forth. An alternative Government led by Fine Gael and the Labour Party would not be able to produce a comprehensive programme for Government to address the serious issues facing the country.

I wholeheartedly support the motion of confidence in the Government and have no doubt a majority of Deputies will support it this evening.

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