James Bannon (Fine Gael)

Is it correct that I heard Senator Walsh say he wants to disown the Fianna Fáil Party? I would not be surprised, given the party's antics in the run up to the publication of the Book of Estimates. Fianna Fáil is a party which has had many logos over the years. Senator Walsh would be proud of some of them but I do not believe he would be too proud of the logo I could attach to the party this evening –"the feel and fall party, FF". The people feel the brunt of the cutbacks which are the result of the lies they were told in the run-up to the last general election. Lies were told on every doorstep, in every constituency and in every electoral area in the Republic, as Fianna Fáil might like to refer to it.

It is time for Fianna Fáil to halt the scandal of cutbacks. People are fed up with this Administration, which is being propped up by the Progressive Democrats. We know from where the Progressive Democrats come. It is a right wing minority party and could be coupled with small minority right wing parties in the Middle East and Europe. That is where it belongs and the people will give their verdict in the local and European elections next year. I see evidence of this—