Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have great respect for Senator Paul Coghlan and Senator Gilroy but I am a little surprised at this reluctance to support the concept of a debt conference. It is one thing to suggest that we should express solidarity with our European colleagues, but they did not show much solidarity with this country when we were in need. In fact, they showed absolute contempt for the Irish people, given the manner in which they handled things. They then changed the rules so that if the situation that developed here occurred in another country, that country would get a bailout without any of the penury that has been visited on the Irish people in recent years as a result of the unsustainable debt. The term "unsustainable debt" was used by Moody's in its latest report on Ireland, which is carried in today's media. Why should we not get involved in a debt conference if it will mean that we can at least discuss Ireland's unsustainable debt?