Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)

I am speaking about proper leadership and the budget yesterday which, as far as I am concerned, missed the point completely in terms of challenging how the country is governed. It is a missed opportunity. I speak to people in my constituency who, no matter what industry or business they are in, are strangled by red tape. Business, potential business and expansion of business are choked because people cannot carry out their business activity on a day-to-day basis. The people of the country are in a maxed out state in terms of surviving on a day-to-day basis never mind a week-to-week basis. The budget was a missed opportunity.

The country needs to evaluate where it is in terms of debt, negative equity, people not in a position to pay back their mortgages or loans or to pay their rent and get by on a day-to-day basis. This is the problem with the level of anger that has moved on to apathy, and the level of apathy that has moved on to disillusionment. Yesterday, people wanted some form of leadership that would have proven the Government was willing to make hard decisions but it did not happen.

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