Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)

We cannot have hope without truth and we cannot have a future without hope. For the people, this situation is like falling down a well. They are falling and falling while the Government tells them to trust it and that they will reach the bottom some time. The more they fall, the darker it gets, yet they are being told that, if they have confidence and believe in the Government, they will hit the bottom, but they are not hitting the bottom. Instead, they are continuing to fall. There is nothing worse than the feeling of never knowing when one will reach the bottom. We need to put in place a floor for this mess once and for all and restore confidence in the economy. If people hit the ground, look up and see even a pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel high above, they will know there is hope. As long as they continue to fall, this will never occur.

We need an election. I urge Green Party Members, who rarely attend the House to hear what is said, to look up at their television monitors and to attend the House tomorrow night. If they want to give the people a say, they should vote for this motion. They should give the people a democratic choice in January by voting the Government out of office and allowing a new Government, one of reform and honesty, to be formed.

Matters are bad, but they can improve. However, we need a Government that is prepared to protect that which is important, namely, jobs, a proper health service, the disabled and the elderly. We do not need a Government that protects those who shout the loudest and believe they are important, such as the banks and Fianna Fáil's donors. Our job as Members of the national Parliament is to provide a future to young people. We need to focus on this future if we are to provide jobs and realistic medium-term plans. We need to ensure the most vulnerable in our communities, namely, the working poor and those who cannot work, for example, children, the disabled and the elderly, are not sacrificed to address budget stabilisation measures. We need a Government that is willing to make a real difference and to help those who want to help themselves.

Our economy has sound fundamentals, so we need to give people the small bit of confidence they need. We must support our small indigenous businesses, including those in our agrifood and tourism sectors. A small, simple step that could be taken tomorrow morning would save money, although I know that a discussion on saving money is alien to this Government. Let us start breaking up public tenders. We could give our small companies the opportunity to tender for Government contracts, which would provide local jobs instead of hiving everything off to multinationals elsewhere in Europe. What about supporting small businesses? We would not need the 70 State agencies and quangos involved in supporting and regulating small businesses. It is time the Government got its act together, but the only way to do so is to get out and give the country the opportunity to hope. Give people an election.

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