Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

We again object to No. 2 on the Order Paper. As Deputy Gilmore said, it is not only a case of the same political faces who have presided over and deepened the economic crisis the Irish people currently face; it is the advisers and those with whom they consult who have been, over this period of time, an integral part of the writing of the script for where we are today. Neither these advisers nor the faces opposite should determine how we will get out of this mess. The Irish people have no faith in this proposition or in the Government. Although opinion polls are not the best way of measuring public opinion, I have confidence in the recent poll which showed the Government at the lowest ever recorded support level of 20%, with 17% for Fianna Fáil and 3% for the Green Party. This is a close reflection of the anger and anguish of so many citizens across the length and breadth of the State.

If the NAMA proposition is to pass, it should be referred in a call for a referendum to the President. The most appropriate response the Taoiseach could offer today would be a decision to tender his resignation and to allow the people to have a full opportunity to pass judgment on NAMA and the myriad issues he is currently considering in the context of the preparation of a budget that will significantly affect the least well-off, the most marginalised and those who are finding it difficult to make ends meet.

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