Address by Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan to the 72nd Fianna Fáil Ardfheis.
Delegates, friends,
I want to speak to you tonight about the challenge we are facing both as a country, and for Fianna Fáil, as a political movement. As members of Fianna Fáil, collectively, we represent a wide cross section of Irish life. Every parish, every creed,
every occupation and every income level is represented throughout our organisation. Just like the wider public therefore, all of us in this room are, or someone close to us is, in some way affected by the current economic downturn.
It could be the PAYE worker, anxious about the threat of redundancy hanging over her job.
It could be the border shopkeeper, struggling to compete against his Northern neighbour.
It could be the young graduate, unable to get on the first rung of her chosen career.
It could be the small business owner, finding it difficult to secure working credit from his bank.
It could be the small shareholder, struggling to understand how his investment has been wiped out.
Or it could be the family new to social welfare, finding it difficult to come to terms with a dramatic change in their circumstances.
These are the very real concerns of so many people and households across Ireland tonight.
They are the type of concerns that those who survived the 1980s thought they wouldn’t have to confront again. They are the type of concerns that those who are too young to remember the 1980s are struggling to comprehend.
It has become clear that over the past two decades, our rate of growth and success has been such that, as a nation, we perhaps started to believe our own publicity. While the severity of the current global downturn was not predicted, our own
exuberance in recent years has left our public finances, and our banks, more exposed to the whims of international money markets than may otherwise have been the case.
While no one will regret the roads and motorways completed; the hundreds of new schools constructed; the positive impacts of rural development and urban regeneration; the support packages for carers and the disabled; the lifting of over a quarter of a million people out of poverty; or the record levels of pension provision for our elderly, it is clear now that there were areas where we all, Government and the individual, should have demonstrated more restraint. I think it is important we acknowledge that tonight.
We are not alone in facing this challenge. The economies of many of our neighbours, our trading partners and our competitors are also similarly affected, yet as a small open trading country we remain particularly vulnerable.
This represents a huge political challenge for this party. We will not shirk our responsibility when making tough decisions around controlling our public finances, stabilising our banking sector and implementing our strategy for recovery. We will
maintain our commitment to social justice, to equality and to the protection of the weakest in society, as we work to overcome this dramatic phase in our history. I want to assure you all that leaving this Ard Fhies tonight, having discussed,
debated and listened to so many of your views and opinions, we who have the honour of serving in Government on your behalf, are again reinvigorated and strengthened in our resolve to lead this country under the stewardship of Brian Cowen, our Taoiseach and Uachtarain Fhianna Fáil.
The message that must go out from this Ard Fheis tonight therefore is that, not only does Fianna Fáil understand people’s concerns, but that it is taking action to address them. While people must be told of and understand the gravity of the
challenge facing our economy, they must also know that Fianna Fáil is determined to address that challenge and best position Ireland, our public finances and our public services for the long term. People must be confident that Fianna Fáil is solid
in its resolve to secure their children’s futures on this island, through our commitment to education, training and the creation of good jobs.
Delegates, it has fast become a politically expedient national pastime to run ourselves down and to oppose for opposition sake. It is a philosophy that professes ignorance of the so many positives that we have going for us on this island. These are
the positives that saw me announce 24 million in research funding to create the jobs of future on Wednesday; that had me announcing new jobs in Carlow on Thursday; and 134 new jobs in Shannon on Friday. These are the positives that make
Ireland the location of choice for the Googles, Facebooks, Ebays, Yahoos and Amazons of the world. So delegates, the dangerous spiral of negativity must stop. The opposition’s habit of opposing for opposition’s sake must also stop. Their argument
of “we wouldn’t start from here” does not wash. It is clear that there is now a duty on all of us involved in politics to put aside the business of “politics as usual”. We must embrace all that we having going for us in Ireland today, and engage
constructively in the crafting of necessary solutions, however unpalatable they may be. As members of Fianna Fáil, we will remain steadfast in this commitment, irrespective of the temptation of short term political popularity.
Over the next number of months all gathered here tonight, together the membership of our organisation nationwide, will engage with people on their doorsteps. You will do so in the company of our local election candidates, up to 40% of whom are
standing for election for the first time. This presents an opportunity for Fianna Fáil, not only to address local issues, but to explain the seriousness of the situation facing our country and outline the steps we must take to face these challenges together.
I am therefore asking each of you to go from this Ard Fheis tonight, and tomorrow begin the task of bringing the message of this gathering, and in particular that of our Taoiseach, to every doorstep across the country. It will not be an easy task,
but I assure you that I, and all of my Cabinet and parliamentary colleagues will be there facing that challenge with you. I firmly believe a strong and united party on the doorsteps, with a clear message about the direction we are going, will do
much to instil confidence in a people understandably concerned about the pace of the downturn. It will garner a level of understanding for the decisions we must take and show the conviction of our candidates as the stronger choice for local government.
At that first gathering of Fianna Fáil in the La Scala theatre, DeValera said that “The duty of Republicans, to my mind is clear. They must do their part to secure common action by getting into position along the most likely line of the nation’s
advance”. I submit that it is again time for Fianna Fáil to reposition itself in line with our nation’s ever-evolving advance. It is by remaining true to this philosophy that we earn the trust of the people and the honour of their support.
We have faced up to this type of challenge in the past and, as the primary movement for social and economic progress on this island, we must do so now again.
I say to you delegates that it is our responsibility to ensure that in the future, when we look back on this period, Fianna Fáil will be seen to have taken the correct decisions and to have again righted Ireland’s path.
I say to you that we have the ability to meet that challenge.
I say that we have the strength of purpose to succeed.
And I say to you delegates that with your support, Fianna Fáil will be successful.