KENNY COMMENTS:THE GOVERNMENT should immediately set the date for the second Lisbon Treaty referendum, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said yesterday. One of the "fatal flaws" in the Government's handling of the issue last year was the "prevarication in constantly refusing to name a date", he said.
An early declaration would allow all of the main political parties “to get out there and campaign and talk about those issues that were of concern to people on the last occasion”.
“We will run a very strong, a very positive campaign. So many more people are now focused on the value of having an entity like the European Central Bank.
“People now realise the importance of the Lisbon referendum. There has been a deal of bad-mouthing about this country abroad. But I think the people here endorsing Lisbon will send out a very clear message that we want to continue to be here at the heart of Europe and, as the Europeans say, they want us on board at the heart of the European Union.”
Mr Kenny was speaking to journalists yesterday following the Fine Gael ardfheis in Dublin, and was buoyed up by the positive reaction to his keynote speech.
“Fine Gael is the only party that will guarantee real change in politics in Ireland. We are going to plough on with our agenda.”
However, he avoided opening divisions with the Labour Party, insisting that it was “absolutely entitled” to campaign on its own.
“ is fully entitled to make its own decisions. I am saying that we are making ours. Our decision, our commitment, our ambition is to remove Fianna Fáil from office. If the people of this country want Fianna Fáil out of office and a change of government then this is the party . . . that guarantees that for them.”
In his speech Mr Kenny declared that Fine Gael would “return the public finances to health by 2012 – without increasing the standard and current top rates of income tax”.
However, he did not mention that Fine Gael has already proposed special temporary levies of 4 per cent and 6 per cent on those earning €100,000 and more.
In addition, every worker would pay more in PRSI payments because of the abolition of exemptions and thresholds.
“These are factors of time. You can’t mention everything about the budget. It wasn’t a budget speech. It is not a case of being in any way dishonest.”
In his speech, which is generally viewed to have been the finest of his career, Mr Kenny urged the Government not to impose punitive tax rates in Tuesday’s budget.
“Let me be straight – no country has ever taxed its way back to recovery. The problem with the public finances cannot be fixed by tax increases and crude spending cuts alone. As more and more people lose their jobs, the hole in the public finances gets bigger and bigger.”
However, he very deliberately struck an optimistic tone, insisting the recession and its consequences could be dealt with in five years if the right decisions were made now.
“I want to speak to you about my optimism for our people, about my confidence in the advantages we have, and about my belief that with courage, fairness and decisiveness we can point the way ahead to a new future, a fairer Ireland and a truly just society,” he told delegates.