LABOUR LEADER Eamon Gilmore has strongly criticised Taoiseach Brian Cowen's handling of the economic downturn saying he has "looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights", with no idea of how to manage the situation.
Mr Gilmore used his opening speech to the special meeting of his parliamentary party in Clonmel yesterday as a platform for a strong attack on the Government over its performance.
Setting the tone for what is likely to be a stormy session when the Dáil returns on September 24th, Mr Gilmore said he rejected the Government's argument that the downturn had been caused by outside forces and was not of the Government's making.
"Let's be clear about it, the names behind Ireland's economic woes are not Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They are Bertie A and Brian C," he said.
In an earlier briefing to journalists, he said the Government made him "nervous", and questioned the need for a pay pause for lower workers. He said the knee-jerk reaction of a pay pause would leave many lower-income families struggling in the face of price rises in basic commodities like bread, milk and fuel.
"I look at the Taoiseach, the Finance Minister and the Tánaiste , the three most powerful political figures in the country, and they make me nervous for the country.
"I am concerned about their ability to provide the kind of leadership that is required to get us through the economic hump."
Singling out Mr Lenihan in his speech, he claimed that for all Mr Lenihan's intelligence, he was utterly out of his depth in the Department of Finance.
Attending his first parliamentary party meeting as leader, Mr Gilmore outlined a two-pronged strategy for Labour over the next three years.
The first was to present Labour's own ideas and policies for the recovery of the Irish economy. Mr Gilmore said specific measures involving capital spending were needed to kick-start the economy.
He said Ireland could break the three per cent of GDP borrowing limit imposed for euro zone countries if the money was spent on investment.
He instanced a major school building programme as well as a national insulation scheme, both of which he said would give rise to "win-win" scenarios, incentivising the construction industry, while reducing carbon emissions.
On the second element of strategy, Mr Gilmore said Labour would pursue a "Third Way", offering itself as an alternative government in its own right, and not as a potential coalition partner for Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.
"I have never accepted that the essential political choice in this country must always be between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael."
He said the party's 21st century commission, chaired by accountant Greg Sparks, will present findings of its review of the party's structure, aims and practices at a conference in late November.