Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

Regardless of how it is done, the taxpayer has to fill the hole. We in the Green Party contend that NAMA, if done properly, will cost the taxpayer less than nationalisation. Nationalisation will lead to an outflow of investment in the country and there is no guarantee in terms of how long that would last. It also raises issues in regard to the 85,000 ordinary decent people employed in the banking sector in this country. I am speaking not of the individuals I referred to last year as scum - those who messed it up for all of us - but of ordinary workers. I apologise to any bank worker who thought I was referring to them in that way.

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