Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I stood over there some time ago and one of the Taoiseach's predecessors spoke in the same terms. In fact, he expressed a wish that I be banished to Cahirciveen for alleged failed economic policies. A few years' later, former Deputy Ahern's policies went down in flames. I put it to the Taoiseach that it is he who is engaging in fantasy economics when he mentioned one growth rate, which refers to gross national product, thereby covering up the real economy as expressed by gross domestic product and the indicators of the collapse in investment and consumer spending, 14,000 less jobs in quarter three than quarter two and, to the Taoiseach's shame, having to go back to the 1800s to find comparable levels of emigration. It is the Taoiseach who is engaging in the politics of illusion. He is either delusional or taking lines from spin doctors and repeating them, which is even worse.

See this speech in context