Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)

Last February a huge majority of the electorate voted for change. They voted for an end to the failed policies of Fianna Fáil and the politics of the Green Party. They voted for a new approach to the economy, unemployment, the banks, public services and political reform. Moreover, they voted for an end to political cronyism. They wanted change, fairness and equality. Most of all, they want hope tomorrow will be better than yesterday.

In the nine months since Fine Gael and the Labour Party took office, they have broken promise after promise. They have slowly but steadily dashed the hopes of the people who put their faith in them. Across the State, despite the litany of broken promises, people were still holding out for good news. They still were yearning for hope the Government's budget announcements this week would make tomorrow better than yesterday. While I have no desire to come to the Chamber and criticise, having listened to the Taoiseach's ministerial colleague, Deputy Brendan Howlin, yesterday and the speech today of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, I am left with no other option. People want solutions. They do not want shouting from the sidelines. They want a plan. A few weeks ago my party submitted to the Department of Finance a costed pre-budget submission. It was a document full of choices, which set out a route to recovery. The Government took some of our advice and backed down on some cuts. In addition, it went after the public health budget subsidising private health care. However, it did not go far enough.

History will judge the Government badly, as it has made all the wrong choices. Never has a Government promised so much and delivered so little. After this budget, the Taoiseach cannot stand up in the Chamber and claim it is all Fianna Fáil's fault. He cannot wring his hands and say there was no option and that the Government was obliged to do this. This is its budget and these are its choices.

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