Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----that unlike members of political parties, the Member who has just spoken gets a €41,000 bonus into his hand tax-free every year and every other Independent Member likewise. That is the end of that story. That can go on the website as well.

I wish to address an issue that is of some concern to many people in this country at present - it has been raised by Members of the Opposition also - who claim that we have a serious problem and that the Government is not doing enough about it. The Government took over 18 months ago when the situation was totally unpalatable. The level of debt imposed on the Government and the people of this country as a result of what happened previously was unlike anything ever known before. The Government has had 18 months of continuous frantic working, actively pursuing every possible avenue to try to ensure that something is done to alleviate the burden and lengthen the period over which the debts can be repaid, in short, to keep the country afloat. No regard has been had for that from the other side of the House. It is utter hypocrisy for people on that side of the House to jump up and down in the manner witnessed this morning about denial on the part of the Government. I remember when some of the people on that side of the House thought that “denial” was a river in Egypt. That is not so long ago either. We have a serious situation in the country. The Government is doing everything possible to address the issues and it is working very hard at it. At every opportunity we get nothing but cynicism and negativity. Every morning we listen to some expert popping up from that side of the House who has an answer for everything and who knows how to resolve every issue that arises but knows the cost of nothing.

The word “austerity” has been tossed around as if it were a wrecking ball, as if it was something the Government had introduced to punish people. Austerity is the wrong word to describe what we face. What we face currently is tight housekeeping that was forced upon us by the recklessness of those who were there before us. The Government has had to take punitive measures, which affect people. People worry and are suffering and under stress. There is no sense in those on the opposite side of the House coming forward and saying again and again that there should be no more of that; that we must have stimulus and more spending. At least the Member opposite who has just spoken is consistent. When he was sitting on this side of the House he did not want any savings ever. He wanted more spending all the time. He still wants more spending, as long as it is spent in a direction that suits him.

We must be honest with people and explain to them from day to day that we are achieving some results of a positive nature that are of benefit to the economy and the taxpayers of this country. It is also true that we have established some degree of respect internationally. The Government has put in place measures and pursued vigorously the need to ensure that some degree of respect and confidence is restored in this country’s ability to rescue itself from its current position. From all the information available to us it is clear the Government is succeeding in spite of all the obstacles. That is a good thing. It is positive. Deputy Shane Ross on one or two occasions has acknowledged that, and to be fair to Deputy Gerry Adams, he has acknowledged it on a couple of occasions as well. That said, the majority of the response from that side of the House is that we should spend more.

Let us compare the country to the running of a business or a household. What happens when a household has overspent and it is unable to service its debt? Cutbacks must take place. Of course there is hardship and people are worried, hurt and aggrieved, but that is the way it is. That is the way things happen at all times. We must have a target and programme. We are in a programme. Despite all the negativity we are still surviving within the programme. We have defied the laws of economic gravity and achieved a much better position than was anticipated. I respond to those who say we do not have growth that it was never anticipated that we would. Where in God’s name have they been? Only fools thought a few years ago that we would have growth of any significance by now. It is a miracle that we have any growth at all. It is a major achievement that we have managed to come so far and still maintain the rudiments of a structure on the economy. That was a great result from the Government’s point of view. I accept it is not easy. Much work still has to be done. The Government will stick with it. It will not get much recognition for what it is doing.

Some people on that side of the House are working on one premise, namely, that the public have a short memory. They should know because they have tested it on many occasions in the past. The presumption is that the public will have forgotten and that they will suddenly greet with open arms those who plunged them into the mess at some time in the not-too-distant future. If the public so decides, so be it, but there are consequences as well, in the same way there are consequences for backing away from people’s responsibilities when those responsibilities arise. The responsibilities that are being thrust on the Irish people are huge, to say the least, but they are not the fault of the people. Some people within the system did not do what they should have done. Some people in particular institutions did not observe the rules as they were put to them and as a result the people and the economy were put in jeopardy.

The magnitude of the task before us has not gone away - but neither has the Government. It intends to pursue the task vigorously to ensure that at the end of the programme this country will have achieved the kind of status it set for itself in the beginning.

I have another related comment. There has been much speculation about whether the previous Government made a mistake or did the right thing in taking responsibility for private debt, unsecured debt and unsecured bondholders. That must be weighed against the consequences of what would have happened had the reverse taken place. That would have been serious. I have spoken about this issue before in the House. With the passage of time a certain simplistic notion seems to have emerged to the effect that if we had welshed on all our debts we would be better off now. I am not so sure about that. The impact on this country's economy would have been massive; virtually everything would have come to a halt. If we had been in a position where we did not have to borrow on a monthly and weekly basis for current budgetary purposes it would have been different. We were not, however, and still are not and we must borrow for a certain length of time.

How much time have I left?

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