Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

Politics is about people and Fianna Fáil has forgotten this principle. Last week the Government parties began a holy war against the very people who elected them to represent them in this Parliament. If Fianna Fáil and the Green Party vote down the motion, they must understand they are doing away with the automatic entitlement to a medical card for the over 70s. In two years the Taoiseach has managed to blow the boom. We are faced with a deficit in the public finances of €15 billion because of his incompetence and, to add insult to injury, he has turned on the pensioners to make them pay for his mistakes.

In the past week, untold confusion, hurt and pain has reigned among the senior citizens of the State. My colleagues and I have been inundated with calls from people in distress crying on the telephone, which is terrible. The Government parties have brought this on them. Shame on them for that. Following five different announcements on the public airwaves and a great deal of confusion, the Government is still holding its ground and it will take the medical card off the over 70s. If the Government is allowed to proceed with this drastic measure, where will it stop? Will the free travel and free electricity schemes be abolished? Shame on the Government parties for establishing the principle of hitting the most vulnerable in this budget. Elderly people in their tens of thousands travelled to our capital city today, many of theme from my constituency in Clare. The very people who built this country have been let down with a bang by the Government. All eyes are on Leinster House and on the Government parties and Independent Deputies. I call on them to support Fine Gael and reverse this lunatic decision.

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