Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The people of Ireland are watching this debacle tonight and it is a very serious matter. It is clear to all of us that the Fianna Fáil leader, the Taoiseach of the country and the Fianna Fáil Deputies will bail out the Tánaiste. He will be saved by Fianna Fáil tonight. Deputies Cowen and Calleary and the former Commissioner, Phil Hogan, were not saved. The people of Ireland are wondering how there are different standards for different people.

Many people would like to know who leaked the story and whether it was the Tánaiste or Dr. Ó Tuathail. There is no difference now between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. They have been together for the past five years. They brought in abortion together. They brought in the Bill championed by Shane Ross. They closed down Bord na Móna together. They are both trying to shoot down Shannon LNG. They brought in the carbon tax together.

The GP service in many parts of rural Ireland, including rural Kerry, has a serious problem. When a doctor retires, it is a serious effort to get a replacement. Tonight, people cannot visit their GPs and the GPs cannot visit the people who are sick. I am sad about that and I only wish we could do something positive about it tonight.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael now have no separate identity and are joined at the hip. They have been in bed together for five years and neither will get out of that bed. The question is when will they tie the knot because they cannot fool the people for much longer. They do not have separate identities and they are the same party now in every sense of the word. It is only a matter of a short space of time before they are one party because they cannot fool the people of this country for much longer. They are backing each other up day in and day out and they do not have a different notion about anything. It is clear it will only be a short space of time before the two parties are one. The question is what they will name themselves. Will it be Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or a conglomeration? What kind of baptism will there be? Their identities are gone.

It is sad that there are different standards for different people. Deputies Cowen and Calleary, as well as the former Commissioner, Phil Hogan, got no chance but the Tánaiste will be saved tonight by Fianna Fáil and the Taoiseach of this country.

All I am sorry about is that we are not dealing with the real issues in the area of health, because people are suffering and in pain tonight.

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