The Labour Party has put forward a 100-step plan in its general election manifesto that it says will set the direction in Ireland for the next two decades.
The manifesto was unveiled at the Aviva Stadium this morning by party leader Eamon Gilmore, finance spokeswoman Joan Burton and by political reform spokesman Brendan Howlin.
Mr Gilmore promised that the manifesto would take the country forward, and make real change in the areas of jobs, reform and fairness.
“Ireland is a great country, and I believe, in every fibre of my being, that our best days are still to come. To take our country forward, we need real change. Not the change of one conservative party for another. But the change of having, for the first time, a Government led by Labour."
The manifesto’s provisions in the key sectors of finance and banking are for a renegotiation of the EU/IMF deal, burden-sharing by bank bondholders, a lowering of the interest rate on the EU loans, as well as a longer time period to bring the national deficit down to 3 per cent.
Speaking at the news conference, Mr Gilmore said that the IMF-EU deal in its current guise would not work. He said the whole objective was for the Irish economy to recover and this deal would not allow that.
Pressed at the conference - and later on RTÉ - on the details of the changes he wanted implemented, Mr Gilmore said these included the extension of the time frame to 2016 and a lowering of €2 billion from €9 billion to €7 billion of the adjustments until the end of 2104.
He said he wanted the interest rates being charged to Ireland by the two EU funds to be lowered by 3 per cent, a reduction that could yield €1.3 billion over three years. While not specifying the extent of burden-sharing Labour wanted from bondholders, he contended that, overall, Ireland could “save in excess of €2 billion by way of renegotiation. There’s no choice but we have to do it.”
Many of the undertakings contained in the manifesto are already in the public domain, including the party’s policy of establishing a strategic investment bank.
Mr Gilmore said he regarded the claim by Fine Gael’s finance spokesman, Michael Noonan, that Labour was a high-tax party as “old-fashioned and out of date.” He said Labour had made it clear it would not increase income tax for anybody earning under €100,000.
By contrast, he said there was a “big black hole” in Fine Gael’s finance policies. He said the growth projections in the Fine Gael fiscal policy was based on an ESRI paper produced in the middle of last year. He said that as a consequence there was a black hole of €8.5 billion in its €16 billion plan.
He also accused Fine Gael of piling on stealth taxes including a €21 cut per month in child benefit for a family with two children, new car taxes, new water taxes as well as social welfare cuts.
He also dismissed suggestions that Labour had conceded it would not be the largest party in the Dáil and would not win as many seats at he had projected last autumn. He said the party was fielding a record number of 68 candidates and was in the running for as many seats.
Other major Labour measures include:
• a €500 million jobs fund to grown employment;
• the appointment of a trade czar to bring flexibility in finding new markets;
• a new National Employment Service to replace Fás;
• a new climate change Bill;
• the establishment of a new broadband company, NetCo;
• reduce the age profile of the agric-food sector;
• develop Ireland as a European hub for seafood processing;
• develop niche tourism markets such as activity holidays; eco tourism and food tourism.
•Use the web and smart phone apps to provide innovative products for tourists.
• A constitutional convention to draw up a new constitution
• Abolish the Seanad but make the Dáil stronger
• An independent fiscal advisory council to advise the government
• Office of Public Sector Reform, established for limited duration, to reform the public service.
• Reduction in number of quangos
• Major crackdown on social welfare fraud
• Reduce reliance on rent supplement
• Prioritise school building
• Improve child literacy
• GP visits covered by primary care insurance by 2014
• Universal hospital care insurance within six years
• Two year moratorium on house repossessions
• A referendum on same sex marriage