P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

The Deputies on the opposite side will vote down this motion and in doing so will claim this Government provided adequate supervision of the banks. We all know it did not. The country knows it did not. The Deputies believe the regulator, the Central Bank and the Department of Finance monitored the banks so well that adequate advance warning was provided of this crisis and we are now having the soft landing the Government promised us. The facts of today's crisis, however, prove that is not true. The Deputies believe this Government acted in a timely fashion when the banks abroad collapsed. I cannot remember it doing anything until the heads of the banks sneaked into Government buildings after dark in their Mercedes to put a gun to the heads of Ministers and the Irish tax payer.

The Deputies want us to believe that this Government has replaced those responsible for leading us into this crisis by making new appointments of directors and other senior staff to run our now nationalised banks, and that the public has faith in them. The majority of bank directors who were there three years ago are still in place today. Is that radical change?

The Deputies do not recognise there is any public anger or that those chiefly responsible for the crisis have been held to account, including members of the present Government. That is a joke. Not even the 19% who claimed they would vote for this incompetent Government at the next election would believe even one of those arguments, let alone all five.

I have a request to ask those Deputies across the House - of whom, God knows, there are not many present to listen to us. It seems they have completely reneged on their responsibility. I ask them to consider their position, as did their former colleague last night. In order to save this country and prevent further disaster being inflicted on the good people of this country by the worst and most incompetent and corrupt Government in the history of the State I ask them to do the honourable thing, resign their seats and go to the country.

I paraphrase a famous statement. Never in the history of mankind have so many owed so much because of the actions of so few. Included among the few is every member of the Cabinet during the past 13 years who was responsible for bringing this country to its knees. I hold my greatest contempt for those people across the House who still blindly support the most disastrous Government in Irish history. I appeal to those Members who will vote down this motion tomorrow to consider their position, resign now and cause an immediate general election.

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