Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Notwithstanding that, it was the previous Government that negotiated and fought the general election on that memorandum of understanding and the programme developed and agreed with the troika. We put it to the people and clearly they spoke regarding our record, which we absolutely accept. Unfortunately the current Government fought the general election on a very different set of proposals, but that is history and it is over. The Deputies opposite should acknowledge that we are taking a much more proactive approach and operating in a much more positive way than the current Government parties did in opposition. They made it very difficult at every step of the way and were largely responsible for assisting in the negative image that existed. There is a little play-out in terms of how all this gets positioned.

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