Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The position is very simple; there are people who support this Government on the basis of understandings they have entered into. We work through that process and that programme as best we can with those Deputies. We are all practising politicians and we all know that in the circumstances in which we find ourselves, it will not be possible to implement every aspect of policy but priorities can be established and if we all act in good faith, progress can be made as it has been. The fact that at the end of the day those Independent Deputies will be able to show a bit more than Deputy Kenny can show in the course of this Dáil, is his problem.

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