Results 17,341-17,360 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Yes, but I am asking him a question and offering him the opportunity to answer me. With the agreement of the House, I would like to offer the Minister the chance to tell me why the boards of these bodies will not come to explain themselves.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Will the Minister take that opportunity or not? He is very good at interrupting.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Can I give him an opportunity to interrupt me? Everyone else is interrupting so he can go ahead.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: No explanation for this cronyism is being offered. The only explanation is because they will spill the beans on how the semi-States are being run in the interests of Fianna Fáil and not in the interests of the nation. That is the explanation and Fianna Fáil will continue to make these appointments. We can look forward in the next few weeks to several appointments of this sort before...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: I cannot hear Senator Cassidy.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: It is not a point of order. He says this is his second point of order in 25 years. Why is he making things up?

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: It is not a point of order; I can say that now.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: I know what he is going to say and it is not a point of order.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: That is not a point of order.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: What is the Minister's understanding of the situation?

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: I move: That Seanad Éireann has no confidence in the Government.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: I congratulate the Green Party on pulling the rug from under the Government on 22 November. We thought for a short period we would have an end to a Government that has outlived its purpose. One of the many farces in this episode has been that having announced the Government would end in January, the Green Party representatives said they would support the budget and the finance Bill. Now we...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: The only institution which will lend money to Ireland is the IMF which is the lender of last resort.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: It is not.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: If the Senator thinks a rate of over 6% is cheap money, I will lend him money at a rate of 6%.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Without doubt, I will lend Senator Cassidy money at a rate of 6%.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: If the Senator thinks it is cheap money, I will lend him money at that rate, provided his security is as good as the nation's.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: We are humiliated and it is the Government which has humiliated us. It has borrowed money at this exorbitant rate. The problem is that we had no option-----

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: -----but to take it because nobody else would lend to us. We are, I am afraid, despised by many other nations because of the trouble we and the economy have caused. What happened? When we went looking for money, we had one card to play, that we would sting the bondholders. However, we were told by the European heads that they would not even tolerate such; it was taken off the table...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Therefore, we took what was given to us by our European partners and the International Monetary Fund in one of the most humiliating exercises in the history of the State. That is where we stand. The Government came home and told us we had no option and that default was not to be spoken about. This morning the Minister for Finance said on radio that we were not to talk about default. Why...