Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask for the same opportunity I gave the Senator. We gave a firm commitment to the Irish people that if we were in government after the general election we would put this question of whether a second Chamber is needed. As the leader of the party and as the Taoiseach of this country, he is following through on that commitment. It was also a commitment given by Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. There has been significant flip-flopping on this issue by everyone over the past years. We can all look at what we have said over that period. Why did the Taoiseach say it then? I think it is obvious why he said it then; because of the fundamental crisis facing this country. It is not just a crisis of banking, of regulation or supervision; it is a fundamental political crisis. How are we going to change the political system in this country to make sure that this crisis is never again revisited on this country-----