Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

Dishonesty is destroying the reputation of politicians and the political system in this country. I ask the Taoiseach who said the following:

The Government has lost touch with the people and misled its own backbenchers. It thought it could carry out this attack on the elderly under the guise of patriotism, when it was more like an act of terrorism.

The principle is simple; universal health care for everyone over the age of 70... Those are the people who made this country what it is today... They raised us, nursed us when we were sick, protected us from violence, grew our food and ran a proud Civil Service. Are we to repay them by taking away something which was freely given...

Those words were spoken in 2008 by a certain Deputy James Reilly, who was then Fine Gael spokesperson on health, regarding the issue of medical cards for the over 70s.

See this speech in context