Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

One of the things that was heralded in the approach to the budget was that it would be tough but fair; that is what everybody felt, but unfortunately that is not what we got. Whatever the reasons and regardless of whether we like it many people are waking up to the fact that it is a sneaky and deceptive budget that will show up many cuts people have not yet seen. For example the Government took great pleasure in claiming it has protected those on pensions when it has not. Unfortunately those on pensions will find that out in the weeks to come. It has made numerous crosscutting attacks on various income groups who are dependent on a fixed payment because of the economic situation. I will deal with who is to blame for the economic situation shortly.

I have to laugh when the Government starts attacking the Opposition and blaming it for the present state of the country. Some commentators pick it up and add to it by stating that the Opposition could not do any better, but the Opposition was not in government and had nothing to do it. The Opposition pointed out all the things that would happen long before they happened, but the Government said nothing, did nothing and has no intention of doing anything because despite what some Ministers will claim the only intention the Government had was to get in and stay in as long as possible, which has resulted in our present crisis.

I hope the lesson for us all is that when a government or a party remains too long in power, it loses touch with the people, which happened a long time ago. I bear no malice towards Ministers and other Members on the other side, who are decent people, but they were wrong and misread everything. They claim to have called upon expert opinion but the way to deal with expert opinion is to judge it for oneself and then take responsibility. That has not happened here for a long time.

Let us consider what has happened to a number of different people. What did the carers do wrong to get hammered? It is generally recognised that the carers provide considerable support for people who might otherwise be institutionalised. However, they have been hit in such a fashion because of bad Government. In the weeks to come the elderly will feel the swingeing cuts and find they are being blamed for what went wrong. It is only a few years since the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government handed out free medical cards to people over 70, which was hastily withdrawn. Recently the Minister for Social Protection - which should be called social destruction - said that many pensioners are very wealthy. I do not know whether they were wealthy when the Government came into office, but they are certainly not wealthy anymore. How many people were told they should invest their retirement lump sums in high-return investments that turned out to be worthless? They have not just lost their meagre savings, but were also encouraged to borrow and invest more by financial advisers.

Let us consider the young. What has a widow with three or four children done wrong? Why should she be punished for the antics we have seen unfold before us in recent years? She is caught on two counts, first, her own pension and second, child benefit. Many people, including widows and widowers, when paying what little they can of their mortgages are dependent on the child benefit alone. I do not believe the Government recognises the size and scale of the negative impact on that group of very vulnerable people. In recent times it seems to have become fashionable to target the unemployed. The Taoiseach said this morning-----

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