Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

It has emerged in recent days at the tribunal — the evidence is very clear — that what is happening now in the Ahern era is very akin to what happened in the Haughey era. I refer to large sums of money for personal use, non-payment of taxes and money belonging to the Fianna Fáil Party misappropriated for private use. That is the standard. It is now perfectly obvious that what happened in the Haughey era is being replicated in the Ahern era. The sins of the master are replicated by the pupil.

I have listened to a lot of rhetoric and lectures from the Tánaiste to the Green Party and everybody else about clearing things up, how the old ways are gone, never to return, and things are as they should be. If that is the case, as the anointed successor to the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, unassailable in the betting office, the Tánaiste's hour has come. An opportunity now presents itself to remove this paralysis from Government and deal with it with a sense of leadership and courage instead of collusion and weakness.

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