Quotes from the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
On infrastructure
"We have huge parts of the country dug up at the moment. I can
understand people saying will this crowd ever get it back together again,
but we will."
On health reform
"In the reform programme in health, we are trying to carry 100,000
staff in the health service with us. You can't just get up in the morning
and say here's a reform programme: We're doing it."
On compensation for abuse victims
"I did not think I was going to be dealing with half the legal
profession of Ireland. I actually thought what I was doing was trying to
deal with people who were hard done by."
On the deal with religious orders on compensation
" I'm not saying it was a great deal, but it wasn't a bad
deal."
On his political philosophy
"My philosophy is republicanismI'm left of centre, I think everybody
knows I'm left of centre."
On a Cabinet reshuffle
"People can work at their maximum for so long and it is a good thing to
change around things."
On press regulation
"Imagine what the public would think of us if I referred Michael
Collins the other day to a Cumann in west Limerick to investigate him. It
would be the same to refer a newspaper breach to four or five journalists."