Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

Let me remind its members of some of its promises to the people before the last general election. On child benefit, it stated: "[We believe] children should not be made to pay for the current economic crisis. Labour will not cut child benefit." Bravo. On welfare cuts, it stated: "Fianna Fáil is making the poorest in our society pay for its disastrous mismanagement of the economy. It is difficult to fathom how any of this will help national recovery." On its plan to promote recovery, it stated it would "chart a way out of ... recession that is equitable and that does not deprive struggling families of the means to weather this storm".

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