The debate was inspired by a fear that the banks would not pass on the interest rate cut in full to consumers. In terms of political leadership, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance made their positions very clear. No doubt this had some influence on the decisions made by most banks, even if, having spoken to bankers yesterday, some are aggrieved that they will not get the credit for passing on the full 0.5% cut.