Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

Anyone in government over the next few years had better be prepared to become very unpopular. There is no evidence of preparation for that from parties opposite. The prayer of many, I suspect, is to put them in government, but not just yet. They obviously hope for a virtual blank cheque given in anger in an election, because no coherent or convincing, let alone united, alternative policy platform for government has been produced.

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