Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think I have 20 minutes now and, according to the Whips Office, my colleague has a separate slot.

I listened attentively as Deputy Grealish mentioned a very important issue because I heard the same views expressed in the middle of the boom when money was falling out of the trees. It was not possible to focus on the issues at that time but enough of that, we will not go there.

They say that Moses wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. In those days poor old Moses did not have the benefit of the GPS and so he wandered around for all of 40 years. When I was a child I never understood what was wrong with him. He never found the promised land but at least he was within sight of it. Listening to the members of the Opposition over the past few days it seems their intention is to lead the people into the wilderness when the promised land is in sight. That is an extraordinary development, and in biblical terms there would have been an instant massive retribution.

The members of the Opposition have not been very inventive. They have accused the Government parties of more of the same and said there is a lot of back-slapping and self-congratulation on this side of the House. Nothing has changed on that side of the House because the Members are as negative as they have been every day for the past four years. I cannot understand how there could be any congratulations or back-slapping on this side of the House. The Members opposite never ceased to forget where they are coming from and where they are going, and they keep reminding us of the same negative things. There has not been a single positive word from them in four years, with one or two notable exceptions who I will not mention. I am tempted to mention them-----

See this speech in context