Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity, and wish I had longer, to speak on this motion. I will address a single dimension, namely, citizenship. Not today or yesterday, a continuous, sinister and despicable campaign started that devalued public service. During the so-called boom times, public servants were regularly contrasted with the buccaneer individualists who were supposedly making a fortune bringing the economy unto the glory days, but who actually wrecked it.

In the minute or two available to me, let us deal with some facts. It costs €55 million per day to run the country. While the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, was right that one third of income tax will go to pay the interest, let him continue the story. We are paying interest of 5.5% on our borrowings, 3.5% more than we were a couple of weeks ago because a few people in the banking sector wrecked the country's international reputation.

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