Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

Under the Taoiseach's stewardship of the Department Finance, not only were the public finances destroyed but the notion that Ministers would ever be responsible for any culpable mismanagement was destroyed. Individual Ministers introduced failed strategies in areas such as climate change, decentralisation, e-Government and health. What happened? Nothing because Ministers sat smugly in their seats and blamed someone else. That is the culture of Government that we have learned to expect from Fianna Fáil under the leadership of the Taoiseach, Deputy Brian Cowen, and the former Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern.

See this speech in context