Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Any humane person can understand Senator MacSharry's passion for the issue that he raised. The same passion exists on the other side of the House. For a long time, I have had the feeling that many of the difficulties relating to vulnerable people - those who are handicapped or disadvantaged - do not stem from party policies, but from an attitude that might exist in every country. It certainly exists in Ireland, perhaps as a consequence of the Celtic tiger, namely, hold onto what one has. This attitude applies across the board. One cannot communicate with someone who is not in a position to find an extra ¤2 or ¤3 by getting caught up in semantics. A fundamental change in attitude is necessary. It is not a question of knocking percentages off of people, as knocking a percentage off of someone on a higher income does not mean much to him or her. For people at the bottom of the ladder, however, the same percentage can mean the difference between existence and non-existence.