Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

But, Mr. Trichet, with respect, the letter goes way beyond the solvency of the institutions. The letter refers to issues that form part of a national competence, fiscal consolidation, a general reference to structural reforms. And, would you not agree with the comments of the IMF mission chief to Ireland, Ajai Chopra, during an address to Oxford University, where he said your letter represented an outrageous over-reach of the ECB mandate? Did you not, in effect, put a gun to the head of the Irish Government to apply for a bailout, or else the banks would have the life support machine cut off?