Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)

Does the Deputy think that is support for the Greek people? It is a ridiculous position to maintain and if he had any sense of embarrassment or shame, he would not vote against the Bill because it is intended to aid the Greek people. It is essential that they get this money quickly.

Deputy Joe Higgins claimed that the problem in Greece was German capitalism. In one of our frequent interchanges, I asked him before Christmas what was his solution and he replied that it was socialism. He must have forgotten the government that put Portugal into a programme was socialist and the socialist party, PASOK, was the sole party in government in Greece. Whatever socialism is, it is not the solution. It seems to be the cause of the problem. Even the former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, claimed to be a socialist and he described Deputy Higgins as the only other socialist in the House at the time along with an anonymous third party. I do not know who the third socialist was. Perhaps he was talking about me, as I had left wing tendencies in the past. Socialism is the problem, not the solution.

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