Coughlan: We Paid off Our Debt

Have just encountered an interview with Mary Coughlan on Marian Finucane. Coughlan is the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (and the Tánaiste) which makes her claim that, during the boom, "we paid off our debt" pretty bizarre. For anyone who isn't au fait with the scale of the national debt, here's an illustrative graph:


Remember, if big Brian falls under a bus tomorrow, the hapless Coughlan is going to be in charge until FF elect a new leader. Scary stuff.