Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

That is why we are where we are. That is why the previous Government brought in Colm McCarthy, whose report stated that we should sell . It is not possible to forget something that happened before Christmas. Even if someone were a presidential candidate he would remember he was a member of the Executive before Christmas. That was only a few months ago.

These are the origins of the problem and we have decided on the minimum we can negotiate. There is no question of control falling out of the hands of the State.

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