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

And, Mr. Cowen, in your witness statement which we got, and over the course of the proceedings today, so far, you have acknowledged some mistakes on public spending; that property tax relief should have been rescinded earlier; you've acknowledged the pro-cyclical nature of fiscal policy; the loss of competitiveness in the economy; not challenging the consensus of a soft landing enough; that the construction sector grew too large. A charge that has been put to you many times is that you mismanaged the economy. How do you respond to that charge?