Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

Our job in government is to take tough decisions to build a new and fairer country and we will continue to do it. For two years, the current coalition has continued to adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances in our economy and society. These changes have been defined by domestic economic circumstances, a downturn of unprecedented pace and increasing devastation caused around the world by climate change. This has left us facing the immense challenges of unemployment, declining living standards, financial and banking scandals and incompetence as well as significant pressures on the public finances. The Government is working hard to address these challenges and while it has made mistakes, it has shown a desire to create fairness. The Green Party has played a key role in these decisions and is proud to stand over its record of creating a green economy, protecting our environment and working towards the reform of our banking and political systems. In addition, my party has produced a major plank for reform of the planning system.

In the past two years, as I looked across the Chamber and listened to the speeches and questions of Deputies opposite, I have not seen leadership or heard anything but opportunism and contradictory rhetoric. The parties opposite have become experts in denouncing every decision and putting opportunity before country, while basking in nostalgia for their most recent period in government, more than 12 years ago. I do not know if this nostalgia is for the rainbow coalition's lack of fiscal discipline, decision to prioritise tax cuts over redistribution or its approach to hepatitis C victims, disregard for the environment or scandalous cutbacks in education at a time of increasing revenue returns. Irrespective of the reason, this nostalgia becomes more perverse by the day.

To paraphrase Deputy Charles Flanagan's words about the then Opposition, there is a contradiction between motions condemning the curtailment of public expenditure and the day-to-day reality of party spokespersons calling for further resources for health, education, social welfare, agriculture and a host of other schemes requiring higher expenditure.

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