Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I concur with Senator Leyden's congratulations to Senator Mullen. He was alone among Irish members in attending that session last week, or so I read in one of the despatches.

I support those colleagues who have called, once again, for some degree of consensus as the country faces the gravest challenge in a generation. Again, I record my suggestion of a fortnight ago that we should put in place some type of political truce to allow the time and space for an economic consensus to be arrived at among the parties in order that we might put through a budget and start on the road to economic recovery. I do not want this or any Government dependent on the beck and whim of a few maverick Deputies for whom constituency, not country, comes first. I hope that all the political parties would be willing to work together in the resolution of the grave crisis we have.

Along with some of my colleagues I attended the North-South parliamentary forum in Newcastle, County Down, and it certainly was something to reflect on when one saw members from all the political parties of every tradition and colour in Ireland, some of whom had fired shots at each other, now working together for the common good. Northern Ireland, the greatest problem in the history of this island, was solved when people were willing to put aside petty party differences and work together.

The same level of crisis exists with our economic future. In approximately five years' time we will be planning for the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. Unless we get our economic act together, Ireland 2016 will not be an independent or sovereign republic. It will simply be a province of the IMF. We in this House and our colleagues in the Lower House must make a decision whether we shall put party politics before country. I know what the public wants and I hope we are up to the challenge. I hope there will be a constructive response to the recent beginnings of the debate on the need for consensus. "Consensus" should not be a negative or dangerous word in politics. It is the language of the courageous and the brave.