Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Senator Bradford. I too was encouraged by the op-ed from the now Greek Prime Minister in the Financial Timeslast Wednesday. While I do not agree with every word he wrote, I welcome the fact that he referred to wanting to engage, work constructively, make debt sustainable and seek restructuring. This attitude of wanting to work with partners in Europe is what the Minister, Deputy Noonan, and the Government are keen to see happen above all. We cannot have any unilateral steps. I welcome the fact that the Greek Government is committed to working with partners.
It was interesting to hear some Members of the Oireachtas, or, certainly one, talk of wanting to take not only an aeroplane but a bandwagon to Athens. Ireland is not Greece. I am going to say that again and I believe it, because no matter how many times someone wishes to try to make a direct comparison between Ireland and Greece for the purposes of short-term political populism, it does not serve the taxpayers or the citizens of this country, nor, for that matter, does it serve the citizens of Greece.
There is no magic wand solution. I am not suggesting that this Government has necessarily gotten everything right, but the people have shown that by working together and pursuing the policies that the Government has pursued relating to growth, job creation and investment, where possible, as well as reducing tax on work, we can actually grow our way out of fiscal and financial difficulty. This will now be the challenge for Greece. The efforts of some in recent days to use the opportunity of a Greek election to score cheap political points in Ireland does not serve the interests of Irish taxpayers and I do not imagine it will do too much for Greek taxpayer either.