Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I hope the Leader is not defending him. Mr. O'Leary promised to deliver 6 million additional passengers to Ireland if the airport travel tax was abolished. His response to last week's decision by the Government to reduce the air travel tax from €10 to €3 was to cut six routes out of the country. The same individual told us he would save Shannon Airport, but he cut the number of flights from the airport as soon as the publicity ended. He also played footsie with Cork Airport and is doing the same with Kerry Airport, from which he has blocked flights. Will the Leader ask him if he has any conscience with regard to how he does business with people? Mr. O'Leary believes politicians treat him contemptuously. I felt a degree of sadness on his behalf when I read an interview with him in one of today's newspapers in which he states he is being got at by politicians. I do not hold him in contempt as he is doing a fine job for himself. He is, however, misleading people, which raises questions about the reason he repeatedly makes promises only to walk away from them.

Perhaps we will have an opportunity to discuss the issue of euro bonds in later debates. The Government should sit down the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and take her through a potted history of the past 100 years. It should explain to her the reason the Common Market, now the European Union, was founded and tell her that everyone needs to pitch in to address Ireland's problems and create stability. Euro bonds must be introduced. If we have a single currency, we should have a single bond. Some little Irelanders such as my colleague, Senator Ross, may be taken aback when I question the need to have 29 separate central banks in the European Union. Would it not be sufficient to have one central bank making appropriate decisions? The nationalist Senator Ross will have difficulties with this proposition, but we should recognise that currency matters are only one part of what we do. Taking sensible decisions on behalf of the people would not result in a loss of sovereignty. One such decision would be an agreement on the introduction of euro bonds. Another would be to recognise that we do not need 29 central banks replicating decisions across Europe.