Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

I am not sure it is particularly responsible of us to talk about the appointment of the chief executive of one of our important banks, especially when we do not know anything about the man. I certainly do not know whether he is the right man for the job, but I have not seen any argument proffered by the other side except that it would be better to have somebody from the outside. I would like to hear of a bank anywhere in the world that is not in financial difficulties or in bad straits. I am not sure that one can source somebody from a bank that is in a healthy state and that made all the right policy decisions to avoid the current global financial crisis. We must be measured in the way we treat this issue because what we say can be taken on board by people outside and that sets a tone that could undermine somebody who may well turn out to be a very good chief executive of the bank. I do not know, but it is up to the people who run the banks to make that decision. We need to get back to that rather than be so judgmental and pretend that we are experts in every field when that is not the case.

Concern has been expressed in different quarters about the people on picket duty outside the gates of Leinster House, but I do not share that concern. I am one of the people who is affected by the levy. I do not like it but I accept that it is necessary. I accept that it is probably insufficient and inadequate to address the extreme fiscal position in this country. My concern is with the people who are unemployed, some of whom may not be paid today or tomorrow because people have chosen to go on strike rather than work. My concerns are also with those people in the private sector who are worried about whether they will have a job next month or in six or 12 months.

I have tabled a motion regarding the legal profession. Not many Opposition Members will stand up and purport to be on the side of the underprivileged and tackle the privileged. A number of my colleagues said they will support the motion and I ask Opposition Senators to do so as well. I told Senator Twomey that I am prepared to sign a motion if he and Senator Kelly will table it regarding the exorbitant consultants' fees and the unsustainable wages they will be paid. It is wrong and it was a bad decision, which needs to be reversed. We all need to get real about this and I am appealing to everyone to do this in a cohesive, cross-party way in order that we send a signal that greed and selfishness in society must stop and that we must move towards supporting each other and towards community trust if we are to solve this problem. That is the solidarity and realism we need and we do not need people in unions on gross, exorbitant salaries who are protecting those salaries rather than the people they purport to represent because this is where they see a vulnerability.