Brendan Ryan (Labour)

The prospect of losing power, and the patronage that goes with it, is the only influence on Fianna Fáil. If it is afraid that inept and sleazy disbursement of other people's money will bounce back and reverberate, then it might change its mind. However, Fianna Fáil now knows its situation is so desperate. Up to 65% of the population has copped on to it and decided whoever its votes for the next time, it will not be for Fianna Fáil. If Fianna Fáil is aware that it is liable to lose more seats by the image of the slush fund than it can buy with it, then perhaps it can be persuaded to do what the Minister, Deputy McCreevy, so wisely tried to prevent them doing.

Who knows Fianna Fáil better than the Minister, Deputy McCreevy? He had 20 years of observing it as an outsider on the backbenches. He knows what Fianna Fáil does with money and he summed it up better than the Opposition when he said that if Fianna Fáil gets its hands on this money, it will turn it into a personal slush fund. We will not let them.