Micheál Martin: “People are angry in terms of what's going on in the Middle East and that's the manifestation of it.”

I've made my position clear in terms of where I think there can be derogations, and there doesn't need to be a picket.

I was involved in these issues in the previous government and agreement was hammered out at that stage - an agreement was arrived at, and we want to do well by honouring that agreement on all sides.

The rate of growth is declining. But to use words like ‘brutal’ is completely over the top, if you don't mind me saying so, and a gross exaggeration.

If that's not a platform for negotiations, I don't know what is.