Last year one of the disappointing elements of the campaign was the auction politics which the Taoiseach and the Government introduced creating a new low in Irish politics. One of the hallmarks of Fianna Fáil electioneering then is now inscribed in the annals: buy people's votes. That was a major part of the election strategy: spend money, taxpayer's money in many areas, as much as it could raise because it was the only party with the ability to raise it, and then insult the electorate by attempting to purchase votes. That is sinister and disingenuous because last year, as we all know now with the benefit of hindsight, the money was spent on a manifesto founded on a tissue of lies. The full extent of those lies is being felt on a daily basis as almost every week there is a mini-budget telling us where the next cuts will be, the next hospital that will have to close beds. The people in power originated this and put a price on democracy, something that cannot be measured.