Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The string of Minister and Members from the Government parties coming here to pat themselves on the back and bask in the glory of what they have achieved reminds me of a chain gang of prisoners. They were sentenced two years ago to death by promissory note for wrecking or attempting to wreck the European economy. They pleaded not guilty but were found guilty. Today, they have pleaded not guilty and been found not guilty but rather than being released their sentence has been reduced to penal servitude for 40 years. That is the reality of what has happened. The nation is still in jail and destined to stay in penal servitude for many years because the premise on which the deal is built is completely and utterly flawed.

I congratulate the Government on putting the stake through Anglo's heart. That is a great achievement in public relations terms. I congratulate it too on ending the promissory notes and on having beaten the 31 March deadline by seven weeks. On three counts it has achieved a great deal. The problem is that the bar that it set itself was so incredibly low that it was almost impossible not to achieve this.

See this speech in context