Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

None the less, even to elevate the principle in that way is incredibly dangerous. If one elevates fiscal discipline and fiscal shrinkage to a point of principle, it will have immediate impacts in terms of public service provision. While there must be balance and discipline, a keen eye must also be kept on the provision of public services and citizens' quality of life. The difficulty with pursuing a legal underpinning of this kind, something that is much beloved of German and other EU administrations, is that it relegates public service, service quality and the well-being of citizens to a clear second position.

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