The policies of the Progressive Democrats are typified by "harshness, selfishness and greed", according to the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins.
"The PDs describe their policies as being designed to eliminate the two tier society. This has as much connection with reality as describing malnutrition as a cure for sickness. Can the PDs identify a single country in the world where right wing PD type policies have made any worthwhile contributions to achieving this objective?"
The Minister said that while the PDs had tried to "piggy back on the mood for change in politics in the UK", they did not realise that the British election result was "a profound rejection of 18 years of PD type Thatcherite policy".