Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

——which they do not have and are not likely to have for a while to come.

I look forward to participating in the debate tomorrow. It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that the burden is spread as widely and as fairly as it can be. I fear, however, there is no absolute way to make that equitable and fair to the point that it will not raise the anger and frustrations of many of us, including some in this room. We must be frank about that.

An all-party agreement on the way forward is an absolute impossibility in these times. The function of the Opposition, as Deputy Enda Kenny said in the other House on the last occasion, is to provide opposition. There is a majority on this side of the House for the moment, so we do not require a Tallaght strategy. However, it is worth noting that for the 1987 budget there was no Tallaght strategy. This is the budget widely acclaimed to have turned the tide at that time and it was a minority Government that put it through. The Tallaght strategy did not exist until the following September.

The Opposition should oppose as it must. Any constructive points will be taken by this side of the House, as this side of the House determines——