David Norris (Independent)

Just as with the question of climate, my view is that the events we have witnessed are likely to become more frequent and more catastrophic. I find it very difficult to welcome the fact that we have been enabled to borrow significantly more money. We need a radical reappraisal of the entire system. However, we must deal with the system as we have it and one must be pragmatic. Within such limitations, the Minister, as a capitalist, is doing a reasonably good job. However, there are more extreme forms of capitalism in this House, as represented by Senator Feargal Quinn. While he is a colleague of mine, whose views I value, I do not think it is a good idea to follow the extreme, right-wing American view that citizens should be allowed to cash in their pensions, willy-nilly. That is a recipe for disaster.