Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I am not afraid to say I look forward to the day when we get out of this mess. In doing so, we should never penalise the unemployed, the old, the sick or the disabled. Sadly, that is what the Government is doing. Punishing people for the sins of others should never be an option. There is another way and I would like to outline it in this debate. We all have a duty to work together on this huge financial matter. All members of the Oireachtas have a duty to come up with ideas to resolve this crisis. During the past five or six months, Members from the Independent group have put forward relevant proposals to resolve the crisis. I commend my colleagues in the Independent-Technical group on some of their positive and constructive proposals.

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