Exclusion of poor angers group

EUROPEAN ECONOMICS commissioner Olli Rehn has been accused of insulting “Ireland’s poor and vulnerable” by the Social Justice Ireland organisation because he would not be meeting the community and voluntary pillar of the social partnership process during his Irish visit.

The organisation, led by Fr Sean Healy and Sr Brigid Reynolds, said in a statement Mr Rehn “has confirmed that the European Commission supports the Government’s budgetary strategy which will damage the poor, the sick, the vulnerable and the unemployed”.

The statement added: “It is totally unacceptable that the European Commission supports an approach which will see Ireland’s weakest groups take the major part of the ‘hit’ for the reckless actions of greedy bankers, incompetent regulators and an inept government.

“It is clear that Government has decided that those who are rich and/or strong will not be asked to make sacrifices, while those who are weak and poor will bear the brunt of the Government’s budget adjustments.

It said this can be seen clearly when Ministers continue to assert that they should reduce welfare rates (which will hit the weakest and poorest); bring the working poor into the tax net, which will deepen their poverty (more than a third of all households at risk of poverty are headed by a person with a job); and reduce the funding for programmes providing services to people who are ill, old, caring or have a disability.

“Social Justice Ireland fully acknowledges the gravity of the present situation which has been caused by a variety of groups including bankers, regulators and government itself.

“Very difficult decisions must be made and made quickly if the present decline is to be reversed.

“However, those decisions must be fair and just. They must also be seen to be fair and just. It is very symbolic that the community and voluntary pillar of social partners was excluded from the round of meetings conducted by Commissioner Rehn.

“It does not augur well for Ireland’s poor and vulnerable people,” the statement added.

The People’s Movement said Mr Rehn was “about as welcome in Ireland as a 19th-century British lord lieutenant”.

The movement’s chairman Frank Keoghan said the “EU Commission ‘commissars’ attached to the Department of Finance must have already approved the draconian four-year onslaught on living standards that forms the core of current Government policies. Mr Rehn has sought to strengthen the resolve of official Ireland to this anti-people blitz.”