Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Government has been putting its trust in the idea that people will not compare the claims it is making with the substance of what it has decided to do. Most Ministers have been making claims which are the direct opposite of the truth and have been using unprecedented gimmicks to try to cover up the hard reality of their choices. In the next few weeks, they will have to explain exactly what is involved in many of the general adjustments in their allocations. At that point, there is no doubt we will find many more unfair, damaging and avoidable cuts. However, from what is already known there is more than enough to see the mean spirit and lack of direction which lie at the heart of this budget.

The overall fiscal framework for next year is widely accepted and we believe it to be correct. It did not originate from the troika but is a required next step in bringing the deficit to a sustainable level. As the budget documentation points out, the major part of the fiscal adjustment was done in previous years, with next year and the year thereafter being easier than previous years in relative terms.

We are all somewhat amused by the Tánaiste's use of the phrase that we are 85% there, given the fact that, year after year, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and their parties voted against 80% of that journey and every single measure involved.

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