Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

It is good to get the opportunity to speak and I will be positive, if at all possible. The people in my constituency of Meath East, and those in Meath West, have benefited from the 12.5% tax rate that was given to companies to come in here and they are proud of the homes that they built in my county. Where we have commitments that this will not be touched, it is something on which we must build and we must make a start.

The Government's decision today to flatly turn down my leader's proposal to bring the budget forward has driven many more people in the towns of Ashbourne, Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Ratoath, Kells, Duleek, Slane, Navan and in north Meath to make a decision to leave this country. For two long years they have been left uncertain on what will happen and had the Government come out two years ago and told us the truth, our businesses would have survived. I listen to people every weekend and everybody knows that if the position is not stabilised by Christmas, businesses will close en masse. Most say they will get to Christmas.

Yesterday was the worst day in the political history of this country. There were Fianna Fáil Members turning on each other. The Green Party did not know what day of the week it was. There were the two Independents. How dare Deputy Lowry lecture Fine Gael on what to do? Then there was the spectacle at the gate of Dáil Éireann, where every elected Member of this Dáil has been given the freedom to bring in their supporters in a mannerly fashion, not to ram the front gates.

The people of Ireland did not know what to expect today, but I am glad my party leader did what he did. He had the backing of everyone of my party. The Taoiseach behaved like Frank Sinatra once again. He did not even go back to his party to ask would he do accept the offer. He just continued to sing, "I will do it my way".

The Government thinks it will get the necessary support for this budget but I, a simply backbencher, will not support it unless the Government puts its cards on the table. My party will not humiliate the elderly or those who have decided to stay at home and helped to build this country.

See this speech in context