Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I wish to share my time with Deputy Reilly.

This is an important debate. We speak really out of the fire of an election, out of the anger of the people who have been hurt grievously by this Government, and facing a winter of discontent with a Government that has no mandate and no policies and does not know where it is going.

The people are extremely angry. They showed that to Fianna Fáil, and particularly to the Greens. When the Green Party walks up those 11 steps tomorrow to vote to stay in Government with Fianna Fáil, for each of those 11 steps it should remember the councillors it does not have. You have lost your credibility. You have no local government representatives. You are now a party of just six in the Dáil. It shows just how far you have gone from your core roots.

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