Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Social Welfare Bill. I remind Deputies of the economic circumstances in which the country finds itself. It is all very well to come into the House full of bluster and inaccuracies and turn into a mini-heckler without accurately or truthfully representing the economic context in which the country finds itself.

There are a few things about which we can be certain in this debate. The first is that Fianna Fáil bankrupted the country and destroyed Irish society in the process. The main task of the Government is to restore economic sovereignty and our reputation abroad. We lost our economic independence and our reputation abroad was disgracefully lost by the exploits of Fianna Fáil. That is well documented and the party paid an electorate price for it and perhaps will do so for many years to come. Its plan for national recovery in terms of social welfare allowed for an extra €190 million in cuts. The immediate task the Minister had was to readjust that figure. It is still not pleasant but, nonetheless, it is a reminder of where we would be if there had not been a general election earlier this year and of the economic policies Fianna Fáil would have pursued the area of social protection. It is the party which voted in this Chamber this time last year to take €5 from those in receipt of blind pension. Frankly, I will not take a lecture from someone who comes into the House and chooses to forget that Fianna Fáil spent 14 years destroying the economy, while minding its cronies and building a massive property bubble which ultimately crashed and left egg on the faces of hard working people throughout the country.

There is no denying this is a tough budget, but there is an element of fairness which would not be evident if my party was not in government. I remind those on the Opposition benches that the payments for carers, widows, pensioners and jobseekers have been protected. When the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste addressed the nation after 100 days in power, they gave two very clear commitments. One was that basic rates of social welfare would be protected in the budget, while the other was that income tax would not be increased. They have held true to their word, which is an outstanding achievement, given the economic context in which the country finds itself.

One should compare social welfare payments here with those in the North of Ireland where Sinn Féin is in power and pensioners receive £114 a week. Thank God, a motion was debated and passed at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis because if it was in government, those who depend on social welfare would be a lot worse off. Jobseekers here receive €188 a week if they are over 25 years of age, but in the North they receive £78.47.

Last week Deputy Joe Higgins compared Labour Party backbenchers to elves. Our job is to represent the people who elected us. When the people voted for us, they did so because they knew, if elected, we would go into government. We could have taken the soft or the cowardly option and stayed on the Opposition benches, but we did not do so. I take particular offence to use of the term "elves". Elves are very strange. They are very small, dress unusually, do not smile and rant and rave. That description of an elf is indicative of the Deputy himself.

See this speech in context