Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

With all budgets, one can judge the reaction and what people think in the first 24 hours. There is a sense of realism in the reaction of the media and economists. It is particularly balanced. The reason for this is that we are now dealing with specifics. We have a budget to debate. Prior to this we had an Àla carte debate that was a distraction that created confusion.

This morning, I listened very closely and a number of speakers reflected closely what this budget is. It is one step in a five-year recovery plan. Senator Coghlan is correct that we need stability in the banks. That must be at the top of the priority list and this could be extended slightly to include stability in the financial structure. I was also very much encouraged by Senator Hannigan. He dealt with specific issues and was not trying to undermine what the budget——