Martin Brady (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for his useful statement, which puts everything in context. I listened to Senator Harris who put it all in context in the most straightforward way I ever heard. We all tend to talk about the public sector and the private sector but we are all in this together. As other speakers have said, we must work together and we must work through this. If we do not, we will never get out of it. The fire is raging and we must put it out.

As Senator Harris said this morning, somebody else is to blame. We are all in this. We all benefitted in some way or other from the Celtic tiger. Nobody escaped that, although people will say that we got nothing from the Celtic tiger. That is not true. This is a lie, a misnomer, and not a fact. Some might have benefitted more than others. We hear continually that the construction industry did well. The construction industry and anyone else in business is there to make a profit. In making a profit, it enables them to provide jobs. The construction industry provided many jobs and people bought houses from them. If the people did not buy the houses, they would not be in business. There seems to be a big emphasis on the construction industry. If we did not have the construction industry at the time, we would not have had the Celtic tiger. We might have had some part of it, but it would not be as good as it was. We must be fair with people.

The bankers are only one component of this. They did not cause all of the problem. However, they will have to be brought to account. There is no doubt that if I was in a job and I behaved in the fashion they did, I am sure I would not be standing here speaking to you, a Chathaoirligh.

It is important to acknowledge the role of the trade union movement, especially David Begg, who is a former colleague of mine. He performed the duties required of him in a very professional and dignified manner. The involvement of the social partners was not an optional extra. They contributed to industrial peace and they enabled the framing of the Celtic tiger. Without them it would not have happened either. We are all in this together and we all have to get out of it together. We cannot start saying that some people are losing more than others, why should one person do this and another do that, that the builders were to blame for this and the banks were to blame for that, and that the public service is to blame for something else. We cannot solve a problem in that manner.

Having said that, I acknowledge that the Opposition Senators to whom I have listened have been very positive. They have not taken political advantage of the situation, which is very good of them. It is also wise because the public does not thank politicians who refuse to engage in constructive debate. People can see through it from a mile away. They prefer politicians to be honest with each other. The day of tomfoolery is long over.