Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Waldorf and Statler Members on the Government benches did not listen. It is not a question of magic pens, but of approaching this in a different way. I hope that deals with the magic pens.

This Finance Bill is not all bad and it has some positive aspects. However, the positive aspects are drowned in the overall intention of the Bill and in the tsunami of its regressive and deeply damaging provisions. The fundamental question is as follows. Should people work for an economy or should an economy work for people? I believe the Bill is drafted and crafted on the premise that people must continue to work for and suffer for the economy, which is very wrong.

During the general election campaign and in the initial weeks when it entered power in the spring of 2011, the Government promised so much change. Particularly prior to the general election, there was so much talk of change and taking a different approach to governance. However, the Government has failed to bring about the change it promised which was so badly needed. The Finance Bill is further evidence that instead of a different form of government and governance, and instead of fresh ideas, we simply have Fianna Fáil under a different name as evidenced by the Finance Bill. Nothing has changed. The Government continues to take money from the pockets of the very people who should be sustaining our local economy.

Some Government Members want to talk about magic pens. While we take money from the pockets of the very people who sustain our local economy, we have this hope that somehow miraculously this will fix our local economy. They want to talk to me about magic - now that expectation is magic. It will not and cannot fix the local economy. If we do not fix our local economy, we cannot fix our national economy. Europe needs to understand that if national economies are not fixed, the European economy will continue to shudder from crisis to crisis.

There is a possibility of doing things differently. The Government parties promised they would do things differently before the general election. Now the Government parties seem to believe it is impossible to do things any differently because their hands are tied and they blame the last lot. There is a possibility of doing things differently. Politics should not be about blame. It is important to have accountability and responsibility when politicians get things wrong. The last lot were accountable and were rightly put out of power. Politics should be about more than just blaming. It is about offering solutions, and offering real and credible alternatives to the people. Ireland has tremendous potential which the Government consistently ignores or to which it pays lip service.

In the long-term strategic development of Ireland as a nation, the Government needs to use all the resources of the State to improve the lives of the people. However, it is time for the Government to think outside the box and to believe that another Ireland is possible. If we look internationally, we see some governments and leaders across the globe that are changing their countries for the better. Last weekend saw the re-election of President Rafael Correa in Ecuador. We could do well to study Ecuador, which went through a period of massive economic turmoil. The Minister of State is laughing.

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