Peter Kelly (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

If the Labour Party had its way, the banks would have collapsed on the night of 29 September and, with that, our economy. Without the State guarantee, our banks would have been unable to access funding in the days that followed. While Fine Gael, including Deputy Bannon, supported the bank guarantee, it has opposed every initiative the Government has since introduced.

Despite Opposition criticism, the international community, including the ECB, the IMF and the European Commission, has come out in support of our strategy. Likewise, the international press, including the Washington Post, the New York Times and The Economist, has commended the Government on the action it has taken.

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