Eoghan Harris (Independent)

I understand the reason Senator Buttimer must protect and advance his party's cause. We all hold different views of the cause of the recession. Mine is well known - I believe it was driven fundamentally by low interest rates. Be that as it may, we are stuck where we are.

While I have no objection to the pursuit of the alleged guilty parties, in dealing with the issue and trying to roll back we need to cultivate a consensus across parties. A good contribution was made by Senator Bradford, on which Senator Ó Murchú attempted to amplify. We should build on it. In every survey it is shown that the public hates partisan politics. It looks for consensus across the board, as is being shown in the British general election campaign. A certain amount of anger is necessary, but we must balance it with good news, as Senator Quinn stated. While the guillotine is going, we also must remark that it is a fine morning.

I was struck by Senator Keaveney's remarks about music therapy. Not all music is equal - the Tulla Céilí Band playing "The Salamanca Reel" is superior in terms of therapy if one is driving on a bad morning and listening to bad news than any other form of therapy.