Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

When I watch debates like this and when I hear the advice like that given today to Mrs. Merkel, Mr. Trichet and other such people, I sometimes wonder whether they will hear it, let alone take it. I tend to see this debate in a narrower context and hope that we can ask the questions and have our words heard by the Ministers here, who will then carry them to Europe. I ask what can Ireland get out of the situation that is happening in the eurozone currently.

The lessons are dismal and dim. For me, the lesson of today's events here and of what is happening in Europe is that a rogue nation is dictating the pace in Europe. Greece is in the driving seat. Greece is calling the tunes. Greece is setting the agenda, not Angela Merkel nor Sarkozy. They will be down on their knees to Greece by the end of the evening rather than dictating to Greece and asking it to do various things. Similarly, this nation and Government are on their knees before Anglo Irish Bank today. The pace in Europe is being dictated by a rogue nation and the pace in Ireland is being dictated by a rogue bank. That is the situation.

I wonder why Ireland is keeping its head down so low in Europe. Why are we so quiet in the mega rows taking place? Admittedly the rows are taking place among people of greater influence, between Berlusconi, Sarkozy and Merkel in particular and Greece and others. What role do we have there? We are not playing any role. Nobody takes any notice of us currently, but why is that? The reason is that we are posing as "good Europeans". However, being good Europeans seems to mean being bad Irish people. To be good Europeans, we must do what Europe wants us to do, but not what is in the interest of people here. I am frequently asked, but find it difficult to answer, why the Government is pursuing this policy. Why is it doing what it is told by Merkel, Sarkozy, Trichet and the lot? Why is it not rebelling a bit and kicking up? Why did it capitulate so immediately to the demands of our European colleagues?

I do not know, but I suggest two reasons. First, this is, to some extent, a vanity project. When they get into government, people get taken over by the structure, the offices and the people they meet in Europe. They get intimidated and sucked in. They also get taken over by the Department of Finance, which has disgraced itself in the past two days. Not only is it incompetent, it is innumerate. They get taken over by the ECB structure and they succumb to it too easily, rather than taking the alternative view. While the alternative view is very credible, it is dismissed. I heard the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, respond to one of his party's Deputies, Deputy Peter Mathews, at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform recently when he suggested a sensible and credible series of write-offs. The Minister said that if he were to suggest that in Europe, he would be accused of being demented. I am not sure the word "demented" was used, but he inferred insanity of some sort.

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