Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

No one can say that Fianna Fáil has not provided stability during an immensely difficult period. Outside the bubble of this House, the daily grind of getting things done is what matters to the people we all represent. There is an obsession with spin across the floor of the House, and we have not been short of PR events and policies announced, launched and re-announced with no follow through. The launch of Ireland 2040 took place in Sligo to deflect from the lack of investment for the region in its original draft. Fianna Fáil is focused on delivery and not on spin, focused not on photo opportunities but on progress in crucial policy areas on behalf of the Irish people, despite constant provocation from most quarters. We are not in government. We are the main Opposition party and we want to get on with that job.

This is a Fine Gael and Independent Alliance budget but it is a further progressive budget after five years of regressive measures by the previous Government. We have used our position to reduce right-wing tendencies and halt indifference to the housing crisis. We have reset the direction of our Republic into one where opportunities are available for the many and not just the select few. Sinn Féin has overseen a world record breaking period of no government in Northern Ireland, issued a pre-budget document with a €700 million black hole in it and took a ten week holiday when the Government formation talks took place in 2016.

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