Shane Ross (Independent)

These are the people Ireland should stand up against when it gets the opportunity. I regret we did not stand up to them when they were in blatant breach of a pact which they initiated, particularly the Germans. As the euphemism goes, this issue will be revisited and, I hope, re-examined. I hope we will discover the real reason the Government took this position, but for the moment it is inexplicable, despite Senator Mansergh's laudable attempts to give an unconvincing explanation. I agree with much of what he said in his contribution. The Irish economy has come through a very difficult period with some credit to the Government. It has not been particularly easy to ride out this recession. Undoubtedly, there have been problems and we have spent too much money in recent years. However, the figures as quoted by the Minister of State and Senator Mansergh are pretty good.