Denouncing the current Government as incompetent, Fine Gael leader Mr Michael Noonan tonight told his party’s Ard Fheis he would, if voted into power, end the practice of political appointments to State boards.
In an attack on the Government’s handling of the public sector, Mr Noonan said some State company board members were appointed simply because they were political "party cronies".
Mr Noonan said the Celtic Tiger was the result of the hard work of the Irish people and particularly the Irish private sector. He said "Government mismanagement and incompetence" had resulted in a public sector "mess".
Mr Noonan also said the Minister for Public Enterprise, Mrs Mary O’Rourke, had brought Aer Lingus "to its knees" and said "CIE is in a mess, RTE is running out of money, An Post is facing bankruptcy and Aer Rianta has managed to create chaos at Dublin Airport".
He said Mrs O’Rourke had "no consistent or clear policy", adding: "all the successes of the last five years have been private sector successes. All the failures of the last five years have been Government failures".
Mr Noonan said the Irish people "have earned their right to a good health service, a proper system of education, a first world infrastructure and a general level of public services comparable to that which they themselves provide in the private sector".
He said Fine Gael had the vision and competence necessary to succeed in government and called on the Taoiseach to call the general election as soon as possible.
"We are ready to go. We are going to win and my call to the Taoiseach this evening is to stop dithering and call the election".
The Fine Gael Ard Fheis continues tomorrow.