Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

This is one of the most important debates to have taken place in this House for a long time. Our country was never before in such dire difficulties and never was there such a need for leadership from Government and Opposition Members and everybody else associated with public life.

Regardless of who was in power since the foundation of the State, former taoisigh were patriots who had fought in parliamentary elections or, indeed, on the battlefields of the 1916-22 period. They were held up as icons of the nation. Our State was founded on the struggles of Pearse and Connolly and the ideals of Wolfe Tone and others. Now, however, instead of the image of Pearse and Connolly in the office of the Taoiseach, the IMF and the European Central Bank are stalking the corridors of power. The Government has ceded our sovereignty with the bankrupt policies they introduced during the boom to benefit builders and bankers. Now we are left at the mercy of international bankers and the European Union, which, thankfully, are being positive and constructive towards us as we address our difficult financial challenges. We are no longer in control because of the Government's policies in the Galway tent. The Minister can smile if he wants.

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