Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Deputy Gogarty amply fulfils the role of national comedian. The tragedy is that it is the judgment of persons like Deputy Gogarty that has resulted in the catastrophic economic collapse of the State.

I make a recommendation to Deputy Gogarty. It is that after the election has taken its course and the people have made the judgment that I expect them to make on him and his party, and as I have no wish to see him unemployed, Cirque du Soleil, a successful organisation that provides a great deal of entertainment, no doubt could make use of his talents. I would suggest to him that he send his CV to that company in advance of the election being called for fear that an important opportunity that might be available to him might be taken up by someone else.

I want to deal with one issue of relevance to this amendment and to where we are heading. The proposed amendment seeks to protect current workers in receipt of the minimum wage. This legislation makes provision not only for changing the minimum wage, but for various reductions also in public sector wages across the board. Of course, it excludes the variety of State agencies that are detailed in the Schedule. That is something else that needs to be addressed but, I appreciate, if I went into that at this moment, I would be going outside the amendment with which we are dealing. However, I want to make a contrast with regard to those on the minimum wage, the Government's opposition to this amendment, including the way in which Deputy Gogarty will vote, and another matter.

I should say to Deputy Gogarty, in case I forget to do so, that if he is really in favour of this and if his conscience is such that he wants to support it, there are some of us who are Members of this House who on occasions have had the courage to vote with our conscience. I well recall in the early 1990s in this House, at a time when it was a matter of some controversy, supporting legislation to ban live hare coursing in circumstances in which my party was not voting along those lines. Let nobody outside this House think that Deputies are merely little political automatons who have no choice but to obey orders and follow the Whip.

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