Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)

The Minister seems to be basing his outlook on a defiance of gravity. At some point, the revising downward of forecasts for growth - such revisions are pretty much universal at present - has an impact on actual growth. The Minister appears to be stating that despite this and an analysis which he says he takes seriously and which projects a reduction in growth - this will eventually translate into a reduction in growth in our customer countries and in our economy - that growth is actually going to somehow continue here on foot of measures the Government is introducing. However, the fiscal advisory council has stated that this is not going to happen and that regardless of what the Government does growth is going to slow down, both here and in our customer countries. Is there not a sort of blind optimism on the Minister's part in respect of or a refusal to face what is clearly coming down the tracks? I take the point that we cannot solve matters on our own but does this not prompt him and European leaders to question the entire policy that is being pursued?

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