Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If this motion was passed, we should consider the damage it would do to the country, our children and our children's children. It would immediately undermine up to 250,000 jobs in the economy, jobs we rely on and which pay for the services that are so badly needed. That would be the first consequence.

It is ludicrous to aspire to default. Default as an aspiration makes no sense. Default is a position that an entity ends up in through a lack of choice and opportunity and the lack of any other available option. However, to aspire to default is bizarre. We have worked hard as a Government in recent years. Many other Deputies, who are not part of the Government, have worked equally hard to restore the reputation of the country. That reputation was in tatters when we took up office two and a half years ago. The country was a basket case by any standards or measurement. I dread to think that we would throw that out the window when we are just finding our feet, when the economy is starting to turn, when jobs are being created in their thousands each week, when we are starting to see reductions in the amount of money owed and when we are starting to see the benefits of the hard work.

This ludicrous, childish and silly motion has been put down to the effect that we should write away €25 billion.

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