Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

As I say, the place is absolutely full.

We look to potential partners for Government and we take one example of leadership, the Croke Park deal. It is only in recent days that Deputy Gilmore has come out on the issue at all. He was afraid to influence people. Surely that is not the sign of a national or international leader, but the choice the Irish people has is what we have at present or the alternative.

Returning to the current Government, I do not state what I think; I quote international observers. It links to Senator White's concept of the mandate of what is going on. The European Commissioner Oli Rehn, according to The Irish Times of 15 June 2010, stated, "The Irish authorities have implemented a significant consolidation package for 2010 of 2.5 per cent of GDP", and he went on to give a positive analysis. The Wall Street Journal of 1 June 2010, reported:

So what makes Ireland special? Its political leaders are doing it — and have been since October 2008...and politicians around Europe could do worse than to look at Ireland's cuts as a model.

According to Bloomberg, on 1 June last, "The economy may be expanding again after shrinking". The Central Bank's Professor Patrick Honohan, on 28 May last, stated:

We're close to the bottom ... Here at the central bank, we are projecting an upturn in the second half of 2010.

The OECD, on banking policy, stated:

The injection of public funds into the banking system is an important step in restoring the financial sector to health and getting credit flowing again.

On the positive side, however, the notable improvement in Ireland's price and cost competitiveness could allow growth to pick up more quickly than expected in the context of the ongoing global economic recovery.

The French Finance Minister, Mme Christine Lagarde, on RTE's "This Week" on 19 February last, stated: "Ireland has set the high standard and the rest of us must follow".

There are other quotations, for example, the Financial Times of 23 May 2010, reported that:

It is not often that the Irish get a chance to tell the British how to do it. But in the past few days, senior UK Treasury officials have been on the phone to Dublin picking the brains of their Irish finance ministry counterparts.

It is important in the context of the current climate that we take time to look at what professionals at an international level are saying. We should look to recent words of, for example, Mr. Philip O'Doherty of E&I Engineering, currently expanding its employment base in Inishowen with a company with international recognition, who states that there is a future for Irish business and is proving it by his actions in my region.

Take time to study the discrepancies within FG and Labour policies. Where are the policies? I will not even begin to quote the two stances on the abolition of this House. Can anyone truly look at these two sides and not vote confidence in the current being the better option, the more confident, if tougher, deliverer of recovery? The lack of interest in this debate is a key signal of just how wrong the timing of this debate has been.