Seanad debates

Wednesday, 8 December 2010

Confidence in Government: Motion

 

7:00 pm

Photo of Alex WhiteAlex White (Labour)

It does not mean that one cannot say that the Minister for Finance and the Government have banjaxed the economy. These criticisms can be made. It does not mean for one minute that a person is questioning the constitutional mandate of the Government. However, when we look at the erosion of the legitimacy of the Government, the Government really only has itself to blame. First, it has failed to tell people the truth. There is nothing that can undermine legitimacy and belief of the public in its Government more than not being told the truth, and it has not been told the truth. Leaving aside the debacle involving the two Ministers, Deputy Dermot Ahern and Deputy Noel Dempsey, the people have not been told the truth again and again by the Minister for Finance. We have an emperor's new clothes problem with the Minister for Finance. Everybody wanted to believe him when he took office. Everybody admired him and said he was a great communicator. I even wanted to believe that things were as good as he suggested they were, but they were not. Over and over again, he misrepresented the position, whether it was turning corners or anything else, and people lost faith and he cannot be believed.

Senator Feeney came in here and tried to say there was smugness on this side of the House. The greatest exponents of smugness I have seen since I came in here are right over there in the chairs she and her colleagues are sitting in. I listened to Senator Feeney say something before that was very telling and is reflected in her attitude again this evening. In the course of one of the battles that was going on across the floor, she was told that she would be in Opposition some time, to which she responded, "a fate worse than death". That is a very interesting reflection on the attitude of Fianna Fáil to being in Opposition. It is on the record, because I checked it.

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