Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour)

Thank you. The motion is couched in a particular language because of the fear of putting down or of being identified with a motion to default. Anybody wishing to talk about the language of default in Ireland should speak to the labour congress in Iceland or some of the shop stewards in Iceland about the tone of default and I am sure this would result in a very different attitude. I suggest one should speak to the teachers' unions in Iceland about the state of their wages since they ran into their difficulties. The Sinn Féin view on the alternative of default will lead to misery.

I note one significant omission from the motion. It suggests we should not pay this money. I was hoping the second part of this riddle could be answered, which is the €1.5 billion payment which requires to be met every month and which is due in the next few days. The motion does not address this nor does it say that we should not pay those concerned. Why does it not call for the refusal to pay this €1.5 billion monthly sum? It will be difficult for the people who have moved this motion to explain to nurses in hospitals or teachers in schools where the money will come from. However, they will very cleverly avoid getting themselves into that situation.

I refer to some of the Members who signed this motion. One would need a neck made of Wicklow granite to call for a default. Some of those who signed the motion were here on the night of the Anglo Irish Bank bailout, which has been referred to in this debate. People freely made a decision to bail out probably the most rotten bank in the world that has cost us billions since and now they present this motion talking about why we should default. Where was their conscience the night of the bailout in September 2008? Some or those who signed this motion did not even turn up for the vote but they do not mind putting down a motion tonight which in reality encourages defaulting - but they cannot say that. I do not know how people can live with this inconsistency. They should take a hard look at what they did in September 2008 in supporting Anglo Irish Bank.

I doubt if there is a Member of this Parliament who in reality would want to pay this money that has been paid today but it is the lesser of two evils. If the people want to come forward next week with a Private Members' motion on default, we will sort this out for once and all but default will put us back and put this country back where it was in 1913, when those at the bottom of the social class had no shoes on their feet. This is what the default will lead to. The lesser of two evils has happened. I will vote against the motion.

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