Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With the best will in the world, I do not need the Minister of State's help. I thank the Minister of State for being present but the Taoiseach ought to be here because it is he who ruthlessly set about vandalising the Constitution without even consulting his colleagues. In the context of the horse-trading which occurs within Cabinet, it is obvious that the Labour Party was not able to get its proposal for a 3% tax increase for those earning over €100,000 and, equally, Fine Gael was not able to get its abortion proposals over the line. I can only surmise that this debate is in vain, particularly as the Taoiseach has shown absolute disdain for the House from the very outset. He was present for a token few minutes during the Second Stage debate.