Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

With respect to curbing their power, it is a question of the way to do that and the way to manage our own destiny. The way to effect economic control over our own country is to come forward with strategies and policies that show we are capable of funding those deficits, being able to repay our debt over time, and fostering growth in the economy. That is a difficult thing to achieve, but it can be done.

The purpose of our current discussions is to achieve the objective of consolidating the public finances, which is absolutely vital for confidence, job creation and investment in a predictable way, where a return on the investment can be confirmed, while at the same time allowing for the prospects of growth so that the economy can grow out of its current difficulties.

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