Burton ridicules 'Fianna Fail vanities'

The Government has overdosed on the artificial manipulation of news by announcing the same things so often, Labour finance spokeswoman Joan Burton claimed.

"Let me give you an example. Fianna Fáil said at the general election that it would cut class sizes for all children under nine years of age to 20 or less. Now, a simple question for Brian Cowen and Mary Hanafin: are we anywhere closer to that from last week's education Estimates?

"I can tell you that in Blanchardstown we have quite a number of classes of close to 40, the largest number of super-size classes in the country."

Speaking during the debate on the Estimates, she said the fates seemed to be conspiring to undo the Government.

Every time Ministers had dramatic announcements to make, and billions to wave here and there, they were met with yawns of boredom and ennui from a cynical public that had heard it all before.

When the Book of Estimates was published it was barely a day's wonder, and along came Roy Keane and knocked it right off the news.

"Which would you prefer to read about: Roy's rows or Brian's billions? Not much of a contest in news values," Ms Burton said.

They were witnessing "a bonfire of Fianna Fáil vanities, and for occasional diversion we also have a small sideshow from a junior partner that cannot quite decide just yet if it wants to contest the election with the Government or with the Opposition".

It was called, said Ms Burton, "the curse of Janus, the Roman god with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions".

The Estimates proved beyond doubt that it was a tax-and-spend Government. "It wouldn't be so bad if taxpayers got value for money," she said.