Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

They probably had Brussel sprouts. We are voting on an austerity package that will lumber us with extra austerity on top of what we are already suffering under the troika deal. The people have not been hood-winked. To clarify for the House, the debate that my leader, Deputy Adams, is willing to have is with the leader of the Government's campaign, namely, the Taoiseach. He would have no problem with debating with Deputy Martin, but we view the latter as the second fiddle or the second-in-command. We would certainly be willing to have a debate with Deputy Martin at any time and any place Fianna Fáil wanted.

It is important that we hold another debate on the issue. Everything is changing day by day. Fianna Fáil's rhetoric in recent days has been interesting, in that it appears to be setting the Government up for a fall and laying the blame at the Taoiseach's feet ahead of the treaty's possible defeat.