The Government has won the vote on the motion affirming confidence in it by 84 votes to 80. Earlier, the Tánaiste, Mary Harney, has said she's determined to continue to give good government to the country. Speaking during the Dáil confidence debate this afternoon, Ms Harney referred to what she described as the spectacular achievements of this Government. She said she didn't deny that the Government had been through a tough time in recent weeks, but said that sometimes people can perform all the better for being tested in the fires of adversity.
The Fine Gael leader, John Bruton, and the Labour Party leader, Ruairí Quinn, had earlier denounced the Government's performance.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, gave a robust defence of the Coalition's record in office. In his opening statement, the Taoiseach concentrated on the Government's record on the North and on the economy. Mr Ahern described the progress made in the North as the biggest achievement of a generation, and one which had huge potential for the future. Mr Ahern also said that the Government was determined to see out its term of office.
The Taoiseach also referred to the establishment of tribunals by this Government, which, he said, had faced up to the responsibility of cleaning up a legacy of the past. Mr Ahern said that he wanted to repeat what he said to the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday: that he had, at all times, directed all officials within Fianna Fáil to fully co-operate with the Tribunal. He had been assured that they had given that co-operation, and would continue to do so.
The Fine Gael leader, John Bruton, accused Fianna Fáil of putting pragmatism before political principle. This pragmatism, he said, had created an opening through which certain business interests were able to colonise and corrupt top levels within Fianna Fáil. Mr Bruton said that unless Fianna Fáil reinvented itself as a party with strong controversial beliefs, it would continue to be prey to such corruption. Fianna Fail, he said, could renew itself, but only from the Opposition benches. Mr Bruton described the O'Flaherty controversy as a watershed which changed public unease about this Government into outright distrust and dislike. He also condemned the Tánaiste for her arrogance and contempt for the Dáil, following her comments about former Taoiseach Charles Haughey.
Labour's Ruairí Quinn said that the Government may win the battle of this debate, but it has lost the war. He told the House the Taoiseach's single and sole interest is in hanging on to power. In a statement earlier this week, the Labour leader said that the coalition had been paralysed by its own poor judgement and mistakes, particularly on the Hugh O'Flaherty nomination, and it was time to bring the administration to an end. In an interview on RTÉ One Television last night, Mr Quinn rejected suggestions that people were more interested in the Government's performance on the economy than in the issue of standards.
