Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

I am sorry that Senator Boyle is leaving, as I enjoyed his speech and his lecture to Members. My mother, may God rest her, had a great saying, which was that democracy is a great leveller and the ballot box never tells lies. She was right. The ballot box last Saturday unfurled a result that many Members never would have forecast two years ago and people want change. I lament the loss of anyone's seat, be they members of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil or whatever, because I was that candidate two years ago in the last general election. I will not express joy at the loss of anyone's seat because I support everyone who stands before the electorate. Politics is a great and noble profession and Members should never forget that.

However, the people are not fools. They listen, watch and observe and have understood that the Government has refused to listen and has refrained from making the correct decisions, not over the past 18 months or two years, but over the past 12 years. Today should not be about the past but about the future, about what people want and about how to get Ireland working. It is about how to make banks more trustworthy and how to allow credit to flow toward small and medium enterprises. It is about creating new jobs and about restoring the housing market of which the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, is in charge. The elections last week both were and were not about Europe and the local elections. They were also about national issues that affected everyone. Senator Coffey is correct that Members must never forget their business is about people. The people have been let down and they took out their anger regarding national issues on the Government. Senator Boyle referred to pendulum politics and while he might be correct up to a point, it is not simply about this as it also pertains to how one responds and directs policy. It is about the future of every working person and everyone who has lost his or her job.

Senator Boyle raised questions about the banks and about the alternative budget. I wish to put on record that Fine Gael was the only party that had set out detailed and costed plans for rebuilding Ireland through the overhaul of its State companies and in the manner in which a new-era investment programme will be driven in respect of broadband, clean energy and water to create 100,000 new jobs. This is the reason Fine Gael's pre-budget submission set out detailed reform plans to cut the cost of running the Government by 20% to pay for the targeted cuts in taxes such as VAT and PRSI. This is the reason that, through its "Fair Care" health policy, Fine Gael has a clear vision and detailed plans for a fairer and more efficient health service that will cut waiting lists, take the burden away from our hospitals by making primary care free and provide everyone with affordable health insurance. These measures are set out in black and white and I will provide them to any Member opposite who dares to criticise Fine Gael for having no policies, because we do.