Labour's Pat Rabbitte made a blistering attack on the Government last night, accusing it of destroying the economy and lying about the prospect of a bailout.
In a heated exchange with Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs Pat Carey on RTÉ's Prime Time, Mr Rabbitte claimed the Fianna Fáil minister should be ashamed to "show his face" on television after what had been done to the country by the Government.
The politicians had been debating the financial crisis and the imminent prospect of an EU/IMF bailout with Prof Ray Kinsella from the Smurfit School of Business Studies in University College Dublin.
“You ought to be ashamed to show your face in this studio after what you have brought our country to penury tonight," Mr Rabbitte said to Mr Carey.
"You have destroyed this economy, and you engaged in lies over the weekend. You denied it, and then you went on to pretend that it was Ireland coming to the rescue of Europe.
“It’s about time you went as you can do no more damage to this country . . . you didn’t do anything to avoid the crisis that was coming down the tracks at us . . . you maintained property-based tax incentives until you inflated the bubble that has brought us to the stage we’re in, and now you come out here saying this is someone else’s fault, not our fault.
"It’s the fault of the Irish Government, and you ought to be ashamed of where you have brought us tonight," Mr Rabbitte said.
However, Mr Carey accused Mr Rabbitte of engaging in a typical Labour Party polemic and claimed other euro zone states supported the Government’s bank guarantee.
"I take no satisfaction whatsoever in seeing what has happened."
Mr Carey said the Government was determined “to chart a way out” of the current crisis. "We’re not going to walk away from our responsibilities,” he said.