Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

What it says is that far from a new urgency, at least in the mind of the Taoiseach and the mind of the system here, it is still this laissez-faire, business as usual approach. The Taoiseach and his Government are half asleep on these matters. When the Minister of State, Deputy Creighton, who is seated beside the Taoiseach, conceded or indicated today that we are looking a second bailout directly in the eye, it was the most comprehensive and explicit recognition of the abject failure of the Taoiseach's policies. Those on that side of the House know as well as we on this side that the policies of austerity have failed.

There is a reason that Mr. Francois Hollande and, more to the point, the French people are holding back in respect of this austerity treaty. The reason for that is not a fit of pique, I believe, but a recognition that the current policy options are failing. When policies fail, smart, responsible, responsive government has the capacity to change. However, in everything the Taoiseach has said in this House - I cannot comment beyond that because, as was said, the Taoiseach is a reluctant debater on these matters outside of the Oireachtas-----

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