Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I become worried when I hear people such as Senator Boyle passing off responsibility for political decisions. The Government is the Executive and its members, not the officials, negotiated on behalf of the people. The Government was duly and democratically elected. In the context of the debate on the future of politics, it is statements such as those made by Senator Boyle which oblige me, as a politician, to become concerned about the future of our democracy. As a result, I request a debate, for which others have called in the past, on the future of politics and the Republic. At this most critical juncture in our history, political accountability appears to be missing-----