Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, that is true and we paid an electoral price for doing so. The lesson to be learned is that there are no quick fix solutions. The Progressive Democrats Party offered a quick fix solution in 1985 and 1986 by pursuing the same policies as Thatcher and Reagan. These policies led us into our current predicament and were similar to those that caused the world economic crash in 1929.

The proposal to abolish the second Chamber is an attack on democracy. It must be viewed in the context of other periods of European history when people were applauded for destroying democracy in times of economic crisis. We must look beyond the rhetoric and consider the damage the proposal will do to society.

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