Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

The truth hurts. Unlike any time in the past, Ireland is well positioned to deal with the consequences of an international slowdown. This means the Government is well positioned to get us through the tough times. The responsible course is to take the actions needed now. That is what we are doing. We are taking the necessary corrective actions needed to put our economy on a sustainable path for the future. When international conditions improve we will be in a position to take advantage of that improvement. At the heart of the Government's strategy are two basic principles. First, we will continue to fund current services out of the taxes received. Unlike others, we will not turn the clock back to the 1980s and fund day-to-day expenditure out of borrowing.

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