Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I join the Taoiseach and Deputy Kenny in extending my sympathy and that of the Labour Party to the Fianna Fáil Party, to our colleague in the House, Deputy Haughey, and to Mrs. Maureen Haughey and her family.

No figure was so dominant for so long in Irish politics. The Taoiseach is correct to say Mr. Haughey contributed much that was good to Irish life. Anybody who was fortunate enough to be elected Taoiseach four times and to hold several Ministries could not but have had a positive influence and made changes for the good of our people. I acknowledge that fact in the case of Mr. Haughey but it would be hypocritical of me, as somebody who opposed him in this House, not to say there was a darker side to his legacy. Today is not the time for a rigorous or balanced assessment but to acknowledge that he bore a serious illness with great dignity and did the State some service. Today is a day to remember he has a family, like everyone else, who mourn his passing.

He inspired tremendous loyalty and vehement opposition, so much so that his opponents were driven to found a new political party. There will, as Deputy Kenny said, be much analysis outside this House, but what has been said today is on the record and I do not intend to venture from the common decencies that ought to be observed on an occasion like this. The Taoiseach's statement that Mr. Haughey was involved in the genesis of the peace process is shown by history to be right. However, history should also record that he was involved in the genesis of the horror that was inflicted on us over 30 years, on which some analysis is also required. Some analysis also needs to be done on his and his party's cynical opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

As for being the creator of the Celtic tiger and of the prosperity to which the Taoiseach referred, ten years earlier his mistaken policies made a significant contribution to the difficulties we encountered. It is all very well to praise the period 1987 to 1989, but that followed a national poster campaign offering an alternative that did not hurt the sick, the old and the handicapped, the opposite of which was implemented. It is misleading for individual politicians to claim authorship of the Celtic tiger because there was a bipartisan approach in this House for 40 years on investment in education, on industrial strategy and on a low corporate tax regime. These factors came together following accession to the EU to contribute much to our prosperity.

Mr. Haughey was a unique politician who, as the Taoiseach said, served with distinction in a number of different Ministries. There are many positive reasons to recall his political record. There are many ordinary people who are grateful to him for decisions he made. He was a reforming Minister for Justice, an immensely skilful parliamentarian who enjoyed the theatre of this House, and a very talented politician. All of us in the House would like to be able to say he applied his talents exclusively to public service, but we must ask to what extent his behaviour as a senior politician has contributed to the lowering of the public esteem in which politics are held.

Today our prime concern should be for his family, for whom it must have been a very difficult time. The Labour Party and I extend sincere sympathies and condolences to them.

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