Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Opposition cannot have it every way. It suggests that the Government should not run a deficit in bad times, which, I understood, is the reason that one should run a deficit, having run surpluses in 11 of the past 12 budgets during good times. If it should not run a deficit, what areas of policy does the Opposition want me to cut?

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