FINE GAEL LEADER:TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen's latest attack on the Opposition was a product of "desperation", but the electorate would not be impressed, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has said.
During an election tour of Galway city yesterday, Mr Kenny responded sharply to the Taoiseach’s description of the main Opposition leaders, in a speech at Loughrea, as “spinning jennies” talking down the economy.
“He’s not doing the warm-up at an ardfheis now. We’ve had this before from himself and his predecessor,” said Mr Kenny.
“Every time that Fianna Fáil see desperation, they tend to go on the attack. I’d like to say this: no party in the history of the country has put forward as many ideas from opposition as the Fine Gael party.
“We produced an alternative budget, we produced a radical plan for reform of our health system, we produced a radical plan for dealing with our banks and getting capital and credit flowing into businesses, we’ve produced ideas on education, on agriculture, on justice, right across the spectrum.
“But Brian Cowen, as Taoiseach, does not have it in himself to accept a good idea from anybody other than Fianna Fáil. As he said himself, it’s his way, or no way. Well, my message to Brian Cowen is this, his way is not working and the people are going to judge his way on next Friday, June 5th.”
Commenting on yesterday’s Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll results, he said: “It reflects very accurately what I’m hearing around the country, that the people want change and they’re now growing in confidence with the ideas and the plans and the strategies that the Fine Gael party have put forward for the last 18 months or two years about how you get the country moving again.”
Dismissing Mr Cowen’s claim that the Opposition would be “happy” for selfish political reasons to see Ireland’s international credit rating ruined, Mr Kenny said: “That’s absolute nonsense. The Fine Gael party have put forward always plans and ideas and strategies that will rebuild confidence in our country.
“We’ve had this before from both Brian Cowen and from his predecessor.”
Asked if he would ever consider forming an alternative government to include the Green Party, without a general election, Mr Kenny said: “As far as I’m concerned, what’s needed now is a massive verdict from the people on next Friday, June 5th.
“I think they will give that and I hope that, out of that, a general election actually happens, because my fundamental belief is that we need a new government with a new agenda to bring the country in a new direction.”
When it was put to him that Fianna Fáil could put off calling a general election until 2012, he replied: “Yes, they can, and they should reflect on the state of the country under their stewardship.”
Asked if he was confident Fine Gael would be largest party in the local authorities, Mr Kenny said: “We do expect to make sufficient strides to be the largest party in local government, that’s one of the ambitions and the goals that we set out quite some time ago.”