Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)

I am glad to have the opportunity to make a few points on this issue. I have enjoyed the debate immensely so far. Debates are always filled with colour when we get into some of the political crossfire.

Members of these Houses are not yet ready to consider some of the facts calmly without getting high on certain aspects. It will probably be several years before an assessment of the global financial crisis is accurately done and we will be able to calmly say that X action happened and caused a reaction which brought us to where we are.

When I was on the government side of the House as a finance spokesperson I presided over the defence of budgets, and when I was hammered by the Opposition at the time I was never overly political. In finishing a speech on a tough budget, I quoted a closing statement nobody knew I was quoting until I announced it at the end of my speech. I was condemned by the Opposition at the time. Ironically, I referred to the closing paragraphs of the 1987 budget which the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, praised so glowingly.

I commend the Government on a number of the things it has done in the past year. One, which is mentioned in the amendment to the motion, is the internship scheme which should be expanded and create a great number of jobs. I congratulate and commend the Government on the positive things it is doing in what, as Senator O'Brien, said are extremely difficult times. The options open to the Government are extremely difficult which is where responsibility comes in.

In his contribution to Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, said this is not politics as usual, which I accept. When I was on the other side of the House defending tough decisions I also said this was not politics as usual. Nobody would set out in normal circumstances to have to introduce policy A or B if it amounted to a cutback or giveaway issues in particular areas.

The sports capital programme was great over the years and every parish benefited. Senator O'Brien mentioned there were surpluses in previous budgets and money to give away but it was never enough. There was always more to be paid to gardaí, more teachers to be taken on, more schools to be built or more money for GAA parks and so on. The job of the Opposition at the time was to criticise budgets.

I am the first to acknowledge many of the mistakes of the past. At the recent Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis, which received some criticism from the Opposition, our leader, Deputy Micheál Martin apologised for the fact that mistakes were made. It is very difficult for this season's team to replay matches. It is important that we acknowledge and learn from the mistakes made, and I have no difficulty doing that. When I was on the other side of the House I had no difficulty saying as much. It is not difficult to be political at this point on certain issues because it is justified.

When the programme for Government was being drawn up, we did not tell Fine Gael and the Labour Party to use the books for the surpluses of 2002. Anybody on the other side of the House during the two and a half years I was finance spokesperson, presiding over the cuts the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, outlined, would know the situation we were in was crystal clear. The heckle was that the coffers are empty. The other side knew that as well as we did in the preparation for the last general election.

In a recent press release I described some of the promises made as, frankly, delinquent and an act of political thuggery. Nobody said we should use the books of the surpluses of 2003, 2004 and late 1990s to determine budgets and expenditure. Nobody said we had to guarantee Roscommon hospital but it happened. Nobody used the cancer patients of the north west as a political pawn in the context of winning votes. However, it is precisely what the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for Education and Skills and local representatives were doing. Senator O'Keeffe promised the construction of a centre of excellence in the north west. At the same time as the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, was telling people on air a few weeks ago that the door was not closed on the provision of cancer services in the north west, the head of the national cancer control programme was in an interview for a medical publication saying that would definitely not be happening.

I have with me a four page list of commitments made in the context of the programme for Government. Senators opposite were aware, if not through the books provided, then from what I was saying when on that side, in respect of which I was heckled by Senators, that the coffers were empty. I dealt with the context of this earlier. For members of the Government and Members opposite to have used the people, from an education, health and wide variety of other perspectives just to gain votes when they knew the coffers were empty, was an act of delinquency and political thuggery.

No one told the current Government to base its programme for Government on the fiscal situation of 2002. It chose to do that and to tell porky pies to the electorate in the interest of winning votes.