Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)

In seeking a debate on consensus, I remind the Leader and Members opposite that for the past 13 years we had no consensus when there was money to be doled out, jobs to be awarded and benchmarking to be negotiated. Why now, when there is a majority Government, does the Government want consensus given it has made a complete hames of the country? That point needs to be addressed. If the Minister, Deputy Gormley, is so serious about consensus, why did he do this in the way he did? Surely he should have said to the party leaders "Here is the time of the meeting, let us get there and talk." He did not even talk to the Taoiseach, his so-called partner in crime - his consensus colleague.

I welcome Senator Harris's clarification this morning regarding the public sector. We agree there must be reform of the public sector. Fine Gael has always said that and I believe it personally. However, we must go after the fat cats, not the small guy or the ordinary worker who is working hard but the guys who are creaming it. I have no problem with that.

If the Members opposite want consensus, the Fine Gael Party has said quite clearly that it agrees with the 3% target and the four-year fiscal plan, and that there must be austerity and reform of the public sector. That is consensus. We have given leadership, although the other side of the Chamber and the members of Government, who are getting paid far too much, are bereft of such leadership. Perhaps we can have that debate and then we can have consensus. Let us not have a phoney war with the Greens and Fianna Fáil, who are trying to save their political hides. The reality is the Irish people do not care what we say in here; what they want is action. As Senator Healy Eames said, they want their homes protected and jobs created. That is our task, not having phoney wars about consensus when the Government has made a mess of the country.