FG and Labour accused of revisionism

TAOISEACH'S VIEW:TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has rounded on Fine Gael and Labour, insisting that they have rewritten the political and economic history of recent years.

Launching Fianna Fáil’s local election manifesto, he claimed that his party would defy poll figures that predict major losses on councils on June 5th, on top of the 80 seats lost by the party in the 2004 elections – the worst in the party’s history up to then.

“I am not in the prediction business at the moment, I am in the business of running a campaign,” he said, flanked by Fianna Fáil Ministers and some council candidates. “We will be far more successful than some of the doom and gloom merchants are suggesting, I can assure you,” he declared.

Criticising Fine Gael and Labour, he said: “I did not see Eamon Gilmore, his predecessor Pat Rabbitte, or Enda Kenny putting an asterisk after their economic policy in their policy manifesto [at the last general election] suggesting that 4.5 per cent growth wasn’t going to happen and that by 2009 we would be coming with a different set of policies.

“Let’s get real. Deal with the situation as is. This country is not immune to the global recession,” he said, as he acknowledged his responsibility for his actions as minister for finance before he became Taoiseach.

“Fine Gael and Labour’s critique was that I wasn’t spending enough money. Their critique was why was I having surpluses in my budget. Why wasn’t I spending more money on education and social welfare?

“The revisionism that is taking place and, with respect, the rather uncritical approach that is being taken by elements of the media to the contentions being made by the Opposition need to be critically analysed.

“They weren’t saying those things at that time. They were criticising FF for not spending enough – all of them,” Mr Cowen added.

“Fine Gael says we are not cutting enough, yet they won’t support any individual cuts. On the other hand, Labour is saying that we shouldn’t be cutting as much.

“If you want to put those into a room and get a coherent outcome, then the best of luck to you,” Mr Cowen said at the manifesto launch.

International bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank have said that the Government was taking the right decisions, Mr Cowen said.

However, he also acknowledged that people were suffering from both the recession and the Government’s actions since.

“That is a price that we are going to have to pay to get our economy back into growth. Without growth we are not in a position to address the issues that people want us to address. The consensus of opinion there is that we are in the right direction.

“Do they have short-term consequences? Of course they do.

“But at some stage, whilst the party is important – and there is no greater party loyalist than me – the country is paramount, and the scale and magnitude of the problem we face is that we must continue in this direction, with these policies to get our country back.”