Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I do not want to say anything that is negative in respect of a discussion where we try to build consensus. I understand that during Leaders' Questions, people have the opportunity to get into a rhetorical flow but I will answer the points raised by Deputy Gilmore. We faced a crisis in this country in 2008 and the banking guarantee was the means by which we maintained a semblance of a banking system that has since had to be repaired in full. The proposal of the Labour Party at the time would have brought down the banking system and hundreds of thousands of jobs would have been lost. That is a fact.

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