Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

Some 18 Senators have spoken and none has yet called for a debate. That is testament to how sadly we have done our business here over the years in that we have exclusively focused on reacting to situations, on the blame game and on what was done incorrectly as opposed to what could and should be done correctly. In whatever time is left that is of use to this House, I agree with Senator Ross that we must use it to feed into the budgetary process. In that context I call for an immediate debate on the four-year plan and the preparation of the budget in order that all Members can play their part in feeding into that process.

I am a former manager of a beef export plant which had to be checked regularly by the veterinary authorities and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The vet would tell me if anything was being done incorrectly. There are many reasons for failure, but no excuses. Many aspects of our system, economically, financially, politically and otherwise, in recent years have failed us, but the blame game and analysis is easy copy for lazy journalism, and there will be much talk about this in the time ahead.

In whatever time is left, however, let us focus exclusively on where the €6 billion will be found in order that Ireland can, as a small but full member of the eurozone, play its part in effectively in saving it, as Senator Ross has said. There is somewhat of a calm confusion here as we sit in the eye of the storm while the focus has changed exclusively to Portugal and Spain where matters are very far from calm. The responsibility, irrespective of imminent elections or otherwise, is squarely on these Houses to send out through the Irish people and media the message that in unity there is no division in the determination to vote through this budget, take the appropriate steps and reassure our people and our colleagues throughout Europe.

It is appropriate they should extend assistance to us, the same as Prime Minister Harold Wilson in 1975, without any substantial preconditions such as those indicated in the media frenzy on issues, such as corporation tax, which were instanced in tandem with images of people queuing for water and begging on streets as we saw from IMF interventions in the past. Let us move forward in confidence and with absolute determined unity towards the only thing that can be done over the next week or two, namely, to put whatever input we can, however small, into this historically difficult budget and play our part. Let the election process begin in due course, come what may, but in the meantime let us not waste our time any longer with what has preoccupied this House daily for eight years, namely, what it says in the newspapers.