Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I would like to outline the thinking behind what was done on that day. We all understand the public mood that obtains at present: the deep anger and the great sense of fear. A number of months ago, my party referred to the need for consensus. What we did on Monday was an attempt to remove politics from the equation in respect of some of the votes relating to the budget. I accept that there will be different views on the budget and on the spending allocations that will apply. That should be the case. However, what we tried to do was make it clear that voting for the budget would not be a vote for a Government that is going to last forever and a day. There are time limitations involved here. The Green Party is of the view that in the aftermath of the key tasks which we must complete, we should face the people and present our alternative strategies.

As the Taoiseach stated, the plan before the House will form the framework for certain analyses. I accept, however, that there may be different views. Some may question our motivation and our methods. However, I assure the Deputy that the Green Party's motivation was to try to create an atmosphere in which consensus politics might work.

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