Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Yesterday's budget was savage. There is great anger all over the country today, as there has been for the past two years. People are angry with those who caused our current problems, namely, the Government, developers and banks. They are angry that the Government did not seek a mandate from the people for the budget or to bring in the International Monetary Fund. They want an opportunity to express their views on the Government.

Every Sunday one reads in national newspapers about developers such as Sean Dunne building holiday homes in the United States and other individuals who were involved with Anglo Irish Bank having a great time playing golf. We have not yet seen a banker, developer or anyone else guilty of wrongdoing brought before the courts. People are asking why those on social welfare must pay when developers and bankers are building holiday homes and having a great time as they laugh at Irish citizens.

The Government wonders why people are angry and are protesting outside the gates of Leinster House. They are angry because they do not see justice or fair play only the poor, the weak and the sick having to pay for all this. It is a disgrace.

Yesterday's budget offered further dishonesty. For the past ten years, since I entered the House, the Fianna Fáil choir has been up and clapping the different Ministers for Finance, Charlie McCreevy and Deputy Brian Lenihan, who were singing and dancing about the great budgets we had. They told us about all the increases and good things in the budgets. However, yesterday the Minister, Deputy Lenihan, made the shortest speech ever made in this House. There was no detail in it. One had to go to accompanying documentation to find out what was happening. That is further dishonesty. People might have respected the Government yesterday if the Minister had admitted that as well as other cuts, the social welfare and health budgets were being cut but that was not what happened. There was talk about the future and the economy but nothing about what the Government was doing to the people. That is why people are angry. The Government still believes it is codding the people of this country and taking them for fools. However, the people are not fools and are waiting for their opportunity.

This Government is finished and must go. Its sell-by date is past. That should have happened two weeks ago when what I will call the "Yellows" pulled out of Government. I would not call them "Green". The "Yellows" should have called a general election on that day. Now they are talking about supporting a third Taoiseach. We already have one Taoiseach without a mandate but now the Green Party - or the "Yellows", whatever one wants to call them - talk about supporting a third Taoiseach. The people of this country want an election and want to give this Government a lesson it will never forget.

Yesterday's budget was a missed opportunity. There was nothing in it about job creation, nothing for small businesses. There was only hardship and by God, there is a great deal of hardship in this budget. Later, I shall have an opportunity to speak on the Social Welfare Bill and will outline our position on it. It is a sad day for the country. I never thought the day would come when the great republican party, Fianna Fáil, the "wrap the green flag around me party", would bring in the IMF, get rid of our sovereignty and our republic and hand them over. My grand-uncle and people like him had to die to get freedom for this country. Shame on Fianna Fáil and this Government. It should leave office and allow in a new Government that has a mandate.

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