Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

What the Government is trying to do is to get us to forget the past, a past full of waste and disappointment. It wants us to overlook the future that it is seeking to build, full of pious aspirations and fantasy maps. Instead, it wants us to concentrate on today. Those who are tuning in today to listen to this budget are right to take whatever the Minister is offering but they should not be fooled. Today's budget marks the first step in attempting to buy the next election and what is more, the Government is going to try to do it with the taxpayers' own money. However, people have wised up to this ploy. An old Chinese proverb states: "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". Recent opinion polls suggest the public will not be fooled again.

This year the Minister for Finance has reached a remarkable milestone. For the first time he is collecting €1 billion in tax for every week of the year. In the 60 minutes he spent reading his speech to the House, €6 million was spent, but with disappointingly poor results throughout the country.

See this speech in context