Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

He did not even state whether he actually asked for it. Was it the case that Fianna Fáil got its way on not increasing the renter's tax credit - the promise that the Minister broke? Did Fianna Fáil also get its way on the promise that the Government would bring a childcare plan within 100 days? Did Fianna Fáil also get its way on the promise the Minister broke - to reduce income tax for people every year? Did Fianna Fáil get its way on that one? Did it get its way on college fees as well? What about the promise that, if Fine Gael was elected to government, people's energy bills would be cheaper? They have gone up.

Did Fianna Fáil get its way on everything? Is Fine Gael so impotent that Fianna Fáil just ran roughshod over it, or is it just that the election is over, Fine Gael does not care, it is in government, happy days, and will get its way in looking after the big boys? The landlords are going to get looked after under the Government's policy. One in four of them do not even pay tax. Developers will get €2.5 billion of a tax cut. Happy days. Two banks made a profit of €5 billion last year. They do not pay taxes. That is who we are going to look after. We can forget about the promises Fine Gael made. It is either that Fine Gael's negotiations skills on the programme for Government are really shoddy or it is just a case of this is what Simon does. He makes commitments during election periods or times he is under pressure - we know about other commitments such as on scoliosis, among others - but he has no intention of ever fulfilling them.

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