Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Unemployment will not be as high as previously forecast, consumer confidence is reviving, export figures are the healthiest in Europe and we are regaining our competitiveness.

Speakers on the opposite side suggest the Government should resign and appeal to the people but where is the alternative Government? The Fine Gael Party supported public sector pay cuts; the Labour Party rejects them. The Labour Party wants an extra €2.3 billion in annual taxation; the Fine Gael Party argues one cannot tax oneself to a recovery. Fine Gael sought selective cuts in unemployment payments; the Labour Party rejects all welfare reductions.

See this speech in context