Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

Every politician of whatever hue should be concerned about the major damage done to the body politic. Our democratic institutions are under attack, probably for very good reason. Many of us who were on doorsteps campaigning for the Lisbon treaty know that people gritted their teeth and voted "Yes" to give themselves and the country every opportunity to recover. The public's angry mood is caused by the culture of excessive spending in the past ten to 15 years in which money was thrown at problems without regard to the implications or consequences. Public finances have been wasted and we are hearing from the media and in this Chamber about excessive spending. We can see that there has been a lack of transparency and accountability at the top in State agencies such as FÁS which I am sure is only the tip of the iceberg. I reflect the view of ordinary people, colleagues, workers and families, who are seriously angry and losing faith and trust in the political democratic institutions of the State. That is good reason to be concerned.

We need to debate the future of politics. That people are losing trust is a reality, not a perception, as Senator Keaveney calls it. I call on the Leader to arrange a debate on the future of politics and what politicians mean in this society because if we cannot lead from the front, I do not know what will happen to this society.