Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is very difficult in many ways to disagree with Senator Jim Walsh but we will let the history books judge the performance of the previous Government because I do not particularly want to get into revisionism and all that goes with it. We have a serious problem with repossessions. What Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell and others have said is absolutely correct. It needs to be dealt with. We should not skirt around the edges but deal with it head on and upfront, and the banks need to be dealt with head on and upfront. There is too much pandering to the banks by everyone in society. Whatever length of time is left in this Government, it has to deal with the banks and ensure that people are left with their homes, not with €7 million worth of homes, as we saw on television last night. I commend Mr. Vincent Browne because what he did last night was a fantastic example of public service broadcasting. Of course, it was TV3 that exposed exactly what is going on and exposed the leadership of the so-called phoney, stupid New Land League. How anybody can go on national television and justify the actions of an organisation such as the New Land League is beyond me. The Land League goes back to Michael Davitt, who must be turning in his grave at what is going on.