Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Rather than Paddy going mad and causing this problem, at the time of the crash the €62 billion in bank loans was in the hands of 190 people. Half of the Irish loan book at Anglo Irish Bank was held by just 20 individuals, a small elite in a golden circle, but the Taoiseach forced Paddy and Patricia to pay for these private bankers' greed. Our suggestions about burden sharing and separating private banking debt and sovereign debt were rejected, but they are now EU policy. Earlier, in response to the question from an Teachta Martin, agus dúirt sé arís é i nGaeilge, dúirt sé nár bhain sé le leigheas ach le hairgead. Why should Irish citizens have to suffer deprivation, inequality, forced emigration, poverty and the denial of their rights to pay for the greed of this small group in the golden circle?

The Taoiseach had the option, and we asked him to do it numerous times, to apply formally for retrospective recapitalisation of AIB and Bank of Ireland, but he has not done so. The people to whom I speak do not understand why the Taoiseach refuses to pursue options which would make our debt sustainable and fair. Will the Taoiseach outline to the Dáil for any citizens who may be listening to him any logical reason behind his rejection of the proposal for a European debt conference? Let us not talk about Greece. Let us talk about here and the debt being forced upon people here, and how a debt conference could be a forum for relieving this burden.

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