Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

An effort was made to buy the electorate but it failed. The electorate did not buy the proposal because the parties involved could not explain it, because it did not make sense and because they could not answer simple questions. When asked when its reform would be introduced, Fine Gael and Labour indicated they did not know. They also stated it would be introduced over three years. When asked whether the reform would come in the first, second or third budget, the reply was that it would be Deputy Rabbitte's job to decide. When asked if Deputy Rabbitte would be Minister, the answer was "Of course" and when asked what he would do, it was stated the Deputy would have made a decision before he returned from Áras an Uachtarán with his seal of office. The Opposition parties were all over the shop. There was money in the bottom drawer and there was money in the top drawer. It was all over the shop.