Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----and the harm associated with it.

After the last election we embarked on a process that would seek to resolve the mess that they created. It was not easy and there were other more pressing issues to be dealt with. However, as I said last night, a Government needed to be formed in order to bring some stability to the nation and, as convoluted as the numbers might have been, give effect to the votes the people had cast. We took the responsible path while the Labour Party and others took ten weeks of a break. It is as simple as that. We took our responsibilities seriously and facilitated the formation of the Government. I would much rather be dealing with a lot more pressing issues that my constituents bring to bear on me and others in this House.

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