Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Everybody can make a mistake, but the sad thing about people in politics is that we are not able to put up our hands and admit them. The people have great respect for those who admit they made a genuine mistake, that they should not have done it and will change it.

Let us not hide behind a line in legislation. We can have all the legislation in the world, all the dos and don'ts and can hide behind the provisions, but we must still be able to look ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves whether we did it right, whether it was fair, whether we did it for the people of Ireland, whether we did it for the future of pensions and whether we did for our country.

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