Results 421-440 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: A modern state requires a functioning banking sector. Deputy Shatter knows that as well as I do.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Thank you very much, a Chathaoirligh. As we all know, the Government's policies for the restructuring of the banking sector are vital. They are critically important policies. We are all agreed we must restructure the banking sector. There is an extraordinary divergence between the policies of the two main Opposition parties.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: The Labour Party wants to nationalise.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: It is proposing that we go the route of Iceland and that we make the taxpayers of this country responsible for everything.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: If anything, the policies on banking proposed by the Fine Gael Party are even more bizarre. They want us to effectively follow the Lehman route, to simply default. What would do that for this country? The divergence becomes apparent when one examines the differences between the two parties on the issue of public finance.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Fine Gael has put forward specific policies-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----on public expenditure, every one of which the Labour Party disagrees with.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Fine Gael is suggesting a cut in public service pay. Does the Labour Party agree with that? I do not believe it does. It has also suggested a freeze on public service increments. Does the Labour Party agree with that? No, it does not.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Fine Gael has suggested that the national pay agreement for civil servants, teachers, nurses and council workers be suspended. Is that Labour Party policy? I suspect it is not.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Fine Gael suggests that we should cut 15,000 jobs in the Civil Service. Is that what Deputy O'Sullivan is proposing? I suspect it is not. It suggests we should have an embargo on the filling of vacancies and should cut overtime and certified sick leave. When I put these issues to a Fine Gael Deputy on my own local radio station yesterday he denied these were Fine Gael policies. If one...

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----as the puppet master Mr. Flannery suggests, add to the mix the Sinn Féin party-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----we would then have a real formula for absolute disaster.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: The reality of this is that Deputy Kenny does not have a coherent alternative. As Gay Mitchell, MEP, said last weekend on radio-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----there is much work to be done to bring the Labour and Fine Gael parties even remotely into coherence.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: I now want to refer to the debate yesterday during which a number of Deputies referred to the Lisbon treaty. This is a serious matter which I personally believe should be taken out of the maw of party politics.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Here, we have it again.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: If ever there were an issue which should be ringfenced and taken away from narrow political party considerations-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----this is it.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Last year, we had sniping on the campaign. I suggest to Deputies Shatter and Varadkar, both of whom participated in this last year, that they support the "Yes" vote and agree to work on our supporters.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Our first priority should be to show leadership to our supporters.