TÁNAISTE MARY Coughlan yesterday accused Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny of having no interest in the financial state of the country.
“The leader of the Fine Gael party is not interested in ensuring we have financial stability. He certainly didn’t accept what the Taoiseach had to say previously, that we have to do all we can to ensure financial stability. Financial stability is what we need in this country,” Ms Coughlan said.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin, Ms Coughlan said she was disappointed that Mr Kenny “does not necessarily want to see” financial stability for Ireland, due to his opposition to Nama.
Asked if she was saying Mr Kenny was acting as a national saboteur, she replied: “I’m not into name-calling, this is too important. I listened carefully to what the leader of the Opposition had to say and I was disappointed.
“My expectation is that, regardless of whether we agree or not, one of the fundamentals that we all want to see is financial stability, economic growth and opportunity.
“I was just very disappointed that that is not necessarily what he wants to see.”
Speaking in Cork last night, Mr Kenny said Ms Coughlan was a member of a Government that had brought Ireland to the verge of economic ruin.
“I’m delighted that the Tánaiste is speaking up at last. She’s a member of a Government the philosophy of which is espoused by the Taoiseach that the first criteria is party loyalty and the second criteria is the welfare of the country.”
Mr Kenny rejected Ms Coughlan’s claims, and said she presided over gross incompetence carried out within Fás and she had no remit to criticise others in relation to the best interests of the State.
“Mary Coughlan presides over a situation of gross inefficiency and gross incompetence in Fás, and it ill beholds the Tánaiste of this country to criticise like this.
“She is talking absolute rubbish and nonsense. This Government have said repeatedly they will write whatever cheques are necessary to keep the banks flowing. They’ve been led down the nose by the banks and developers down this corridor of Nama, and they have shifted a burden of €54 billion on to the backs of the Irish taxpayer.”