Feargal Quinn (Independent)

There is a real danger now that we will become bankrupt as a nation. I hate saying that and I am not crying wolf. What if a person goes to cash his or her social welfare cheque next year and it bounces? What happens if one's dole payment bounces? What happens if a person goes to pay for his or her groceries by cheque but the grocer says he cannot accept it because the cheque the customer gave him last week bounced? I hate threatening these things but there is a danger that countries can go bankrupt. We need to solve this crisis and to do so fairly quickly. The citizens of Ireland will take the tough medicine now, but the Government should not ask them to take minor medicine now, heavier medicine next year and heavier medicine the year after. If we take the tough medicine now and get it over with, I believe we can get the economy back on track.