Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

One is in regard to the savings announcements that were made last week or the week before that Deputy Kelleher complains about, justifiably in some respects. It is not clear from him whether he has a difficulty with the announcements themselves or with the fact that it was clarified afterwards that some of those matters were not going ahead. He cannot make up his mind which it is but he wants to make that the basis of his attack here this evening.

The second, which is the aspect that is quite remarkable and which comes up repeatedly, and on which the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, is absolutely right in regard to the approach taken by the Fianna Fáil Party, is that they want to re-run the election. The general election was lost spectacularly by the Fianna Fáil Party. It has nobody else to blame. It does not have the Minister, Deputy Reilly, on the back of a truck or anywhere else, to blame for the catastrophic loss by the Fianna Fáil Party of that election. There is no use trying to re-enact the election and claim that this, that or the other was said. Of course it is true. I will be honest in this House as a backbencher and strong supporter of this Government and say that not all of the commitments given in the course of the election have been possible to carry through as yet but this Government is keeping faith with the people.

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