Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

I now understand why the Tánaiste did not make the Minister for Social Protection the Minister for Finance because she said in an interview today with the Financial Times that the European Union should cut the cost of Ireland's bailout to help it pass the eurozone fiscal pact in a high stakes referendum. If that is not linking one with the other, I do not know what is. She went on to endorse that in stronger terms in that interview.

Let us get this straight. Do the Labour Party and the Government not understand the rightful perception among the people that the austerity, which is being imposed in this fiscal compact, is linked to the fact that it is also imposed because of the promissory notes?

If we can get money off and get a debt write-off on the promissory notes, we will also have less austerity.

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