Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

-----in private consumption suggested by the Commission is a feature of forecasts from every international and domestic forecaster and such forecasts from the IMF, the OECD and the European Commission are not all exactly the same. However, the Department of Finance stands over its own forecast for next year at 1.75% growth. We need to rise above partisan politics now and again in this country. We need to inject confidence for our own people. Far from referring to Ireland as either banjaxed or an economic corpse, which have been the comments of the Opposition over the weekend at a time of serious import for our country, we need to recognise that -----

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