Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. He has been attending Davos for years and speaking at similar high-level events. It was the first time that a Taoiseach made comments that reverberated significantly and somewhat negatively at home. The main theme of the Taoiseach's public comments was that Ireland was doing better because of the 2011 budget against which he voted. That was fair enough. However, the main news at home was his unguarded comments regarding the Irish people. His press people were industrious afterwards in trying to clean up after his comments, but the bottom line is that he claimed it was the fault of people who had gone mad with greed. No doubt he will have prepared significant remarks. There has been an attempt to spin the issue with the usual political attacks, but let us put all of that aside for a moment. Does the Taoiseach accept that he might have gone too far in his comments? If he does not withdraw them, he must accept that he made one statement in his pre-budget television speech and stated the exact opposite in the Swiss mountains.

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