Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I am not; I am posing a question. Some of the Members opposite are very good at scaring. We saw some of that behaviour last weekend in Galway. They were on the public airwaves and they denounced nothing and saw nothing. They were really conflicted. Let us have a debate about Europe and where we want to be. Let us not allow the same old arguments to continue by the crowd opposite who were opposed and by the crowd opposite who were for. Let us have a real debate about what it is to be in Europe.

Some of the Members opposite will say this is about austerity. It is not about austerity. The Government's overall budget terms have been agreed with the troika and we are committed to reducing our deficit to 3% by 2015. People will be told the treaty bans future stimulus measures, but it does not. The treaty allows flexibility and it allows for stimulus measures. The treaty provides that a Government may deviate from the balanced budget rules "in periods of severe economic downturn..." so long as "...it does not endanger fiscal stability in the medium term."

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