Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

With hindsight, we can see that the sustained boom period of the Celtic tiger misled us all into believing we could avoid difficult choices. We now know differently. As a consequence, the choices we now face are, unfortunately, very stark. It is essential at this time of severe economic difficulty that our people understand the choices facing the country, the decisions being taken by the Government and the reasons for them.

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