Dáil debates

Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Finance Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed)

 

6:00 pm

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

It is with a certain sadness that we consider the Finance Bill this year, for a number of reasons. I take this opportunity to wish the Minister for Finance a full return to health, which is something all of us in this House and anywhere else should recognise.

The other issue that evokes a certain amount of sadness is the impact of the Finance Bill on the people we all represent. It is sad, after all the money that floated around this country and all of our claims to be one of the richest countries in the world - we were supposed to be the third richest county - that we have come to a situation where each segment in our society is being hit again and again.

The Government has proclaimed that there is a crisis, as if an atrocity has been committed and the crisis was created by somebody other than it. The Government has also proclaimed that there is a world crisis. There is a bigger one here and it was created by the Government, which is what is sad. There will come a time when the electorate will have an opportunity to respond. The Government has adroitly slid away from responsibility and moved into the shadows saying that, while we are in a sad and serious situation, it was unable to control particular matters. However, it could have done so.

At some stage the electorate will connect the two issues, which is important. If the electorate does not do so, nothing will change and we will be having the same debate in five and ten years time with the same group of people sitting on the Government side complaining about a crisis of some description for which somebody else will be to blame. The Government has no intention of accepting any responsibility for any crisis. As a result, the electorate will lose its democratic right to change the Government, leaving it free of responsibility.

Reference was made earlier to the carbon tax. The Green Party told the House how good the carbon tax will be for the people. Perhaps we should ask some of the people who will be affected by it what they think, including those people who will pay higher prices for their fuel and energy, people who are being already hit in several others by high mortgages, many of which they cannot pay, negative equity and job losses. The Government is acting as though nothing at all is happening. I have never before in my life witnessed anything like what is going on. It is almost as if the public has been hypnotised. I must keep an eye on the television to see if a subliminal message is being transmitted to lull the people into a false sense of security. It appears people have an inability to react.

Another issue of concern is competitiveness. We are all aware of our lack of competitiveness for the past eight years. It is recognised on world markets that we are not competitive. What do we do? We introduce a budget and a Finance Bill which makes us less competitive, which is truly extraordinary. The Government has announced that we have a particular problem and has stated it has no control over it because the same is happening all over the world. It happened in America and was bound to happen here we are told. There has been no word about the property boom which carried the economy away as though nothing would ever end. Perhaps the Acting Chairman will indicate how much time I have left.

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