Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)

It is a party that is being honest with the people, presenting the facts as they are and putting its shoulder to the wheel through a very challenging and difficult time for any Government. The easiest option for the party after the election would have been to scurry to the safety of the Opposition benches. Instead we took the hard option, to represent the people who voted for us and make a difference.

Were we in Opposition, we would not act in the self-serving, misleading and politically expedient manner of Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin is a party whose economic policy on its website does not refer to the fact that the country has been bailed out by the EU and IMF. It is a party which only seven months ago told the people we did not need the EU and IMF deal, could survive on our own and, ludicrously, could easily return to the bond market in 2012. It was a policy that was so delusional and dangerous that it would have resulted in the bankruptcy of the State, the systematic destruction of our public services and economic collapse. The party's leader, Deputy Gerry Adams, comes into this House and castigates the Government for blaming the EU and IMF big boys for the tough decisions that have to be made, while the Deputy First Minister blames the big boys in Westminster for the cuts.

The truth is that the people are not stupid. They know we are in a very difficult, tough and challenging situation. They voted en masse for the two parties that offered solutions to the crisis and the we are in a coalition, knowing that in other times we would follow different and better options. That is not possible now. The people are reasonable. They will not be frightened or misled by dodgy economics and scary tactics from the party opposite.

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