I seek reassurance from the Leader that the people involved in the background construction of the budget were not those who got it so disastrously wrong regarding the figures appointed for what they thought the Seanad cost because they were way out. In addition, the Government parroted some of the left-wing assertions that only 1% of the people had a vote in Seanad elections, but as there are 200,000 people on the combined university register, this would mean that there are 20 million people in the country. The Government, therefore, first should set out to have a look for the missing 15 million people. If that is the way it approaches things, I have no great confidence it will get the budget right.

Moreover, no matter what it contains, it is known there will be €2.5 billion in cuts, which again will affect the most vulnerable. There can be no rosy support for any of this because the real problem is with the major international financial institutions, the ratings agencies and the way in which the world economy is run. This was all started off by the American system in which the ratings agencies were involved with the ratings of Enron and the dishonesty there, but the world financial situation still has not been addressed at all. Across Europe, tens of thousands of ordinary European citizens are being evicted in Spain, while in Portugal people are starving and in Britain people are being asked to deposit food parcels at supermarkets to feed the hungry. In this country there are soup kitchens, evictions and misery, as well as people taking their own lives. I recall a meeting held in the AV room of Leinster House at which gardaí and nurses could not stop the tears flowing down their cheeks as they explained how they could not live and feed their children. This morning I heard people on the wireless talking about feeding their children by selling their clothes at car boot sales. There is nothing here on which to congratulate oneself. It is not enough simply to be the court jester of Angela Merkel. The Germans take the view, "We're all right Jack and hump the rest of you." That is not European solidarity and the entire financial system must be addressed radically in the interests of the people.

I also seek reassurance from the Leader that, contrary to rumours in the media, the Seanad will not be bypassed on certain social welfare votes through some trickery and machinations. I hope this will not happen. It was suggested it was because the Government feared a Labour Party revolt, but so doing would be absolutely and utterly undemocratic.

The suggestion has been made that Mr. Peter Sutherland should be invited to the House to engage in discussion with Senators. If that happens, I hope I will be well enough to attend and give him a grilling. He is somebody who has an awful lot to answer for, including his involvement in Goldman Sachs, his entirely incorrect blatherings about the economy-----

As the Senator knows, he should not make charges against an individual who is not here to defend himself.

I have a final point to make. I welcome the Government statement of intent to broaden the Seanad electorate by including graduates of all third level institutions. There is a need to examine the technical implications of that change because it will create constituencies as large as those for elections to the European Parliament. Having said that, the proposed change is not enough. The Government also has the capacity, within legislation to effect that particular change, to democratise the electorate for the political panels. We should table amendments to that effect in this House. We must fight not just on the university situation, but also for the democratisation at the same time of the existing panels.