Parties must put differences aside, insists Gormley

BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK:PARTY LEADERS should sit down "without preconditions" to discuss ways of developing "some form" of consensus on the four-year budgetary framework plan due for publication next month, Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment John Gormley has said.

Mr Gormley said the plan would have “greater credibility” if it had the involvement of the party leaders on both sides of the Dáil.

"It's absolutely central now that we put party political differences aside and that we can try and reach that form of consensus, but I stress that first of all we make the information available and then we have talks without preconditions," he said on RTÉ's News at Oneyesterday.

He said the Tallaght Strategy of the 1980s had helped in getting through the crisis at that time. “I’m not laying down preconditions, it may not be possible to have a similar Tallaght Strategy but I do believe that, in the national interest at this stage, it is far better if we try to develop a consensus.”

He had spoken to Taoiseach Brian Cowen on the matter yesterday morning: “I think he understands the necessity for some form of consensus.

“He certainly understands the need to give information to the Opposition in relation to financial matters and I hope that that can progress. It’s now a matter of contacting the other party leaders.” Asked if the Taoiseach had expressed support for his approach, Mr Gormley said: “Yes, he did.”

Mr Gormley said Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe had also endorsed it.

“It’s undoubtedly the best way forward. Whether it’s possible or not is another question,” Mr Gormley added.

There would be an election in due course, “but this is to deal with an immediate problem and that is the need now to go forward with a four-year budgetary plan, which the commission wants to see.

“If we are to go into an election at this moment, that causes further instability, and what you would then have is again the problem of opposition and government: we have an adversarial system.”

He added that “this is not the time for instability, this is the time for a bit of calmness and thinking about the national interest, putting it ahead of party-political interests”.

He understood “perfectly well” that political parties had their own policies, “but if we can at least agree the broad parameters and some of the measures we will have made some progress; I think we have to get some form of consensus before we go to the commission”.

The commission and the markets had both indicated it would be “far better that we have some form of projection into the future” to give an assurance of stability over the next four years.

He acknowledged that the main Opposition parties subscribed to the 3 per cent deficit target, but he added: “I haven’t seen the policies.” Mr Gormley said it was necessary to have a coherent plan that stood up to scrutiny.

John Gormley: if parties can agree some of the measures, “we will have made some progress”