Micheál Martin calls for face-to-face debate with Taoiseach

Fianna Fáil's Micheál Martin has called for a face-to-face debate with Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

Speaking following Mr Kenny’s national conference speech, Mr Martin said it is time for the Taoiseach to emerge from the “protection of set piece events and anonymous briefings” to face him in debate.

He accused the Fine Gael leader of launching a series of "tired, inaccurate and clichéd attacks" on Fianna Fáil.

“The fact is that Mr Kenny resorts to these attacks because his mandate is based on a series of falsehoods,” said Mr Martin. “He went into the last election having voted against the key economic stabilisation measures that he now claims credit for.”

“He directed his party to support the bank guarantee that he now rails against. He made promises to voters across the country in the full and certain knowledge that he would not be keeping them once elected.”

Mr Martin said the Taoiseach’s time in power had been marked by his refusal to engage in honest debate on this issues.

“He now appears to hope that he can secure another term in that office by launching unsubstantiated attacks on his opponents,” he said.

“He does not seem to realise that the Irish people want more from their leaders. I stand ready to meet the Taoiseach in open debate at any time, but I am not optimistic.”

“Mr Kenny will continue to run from debate because he has calculated that him to have any chance staying in the Taoiseach’s office, he must avoid honest debate and limit his exposure to genuine challenge to the absolute bare minimum.”

Mr Kenny said on Saturday he did not want Ireland to be dragged back to the failures of the past or to be ruined "by those who are intent on blowing a huge hole in our recovering national finances".

“Populist promises to reverse every tough decision are nothing but empty rhetoric, irresponsible leadership and bad politics,” said Mr Kenny. “They are not the solution to Ireland’s problems.”

Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams has called Mr Kenny's speech a "back-slapping exercise" and accused Government ministers of "unbridled arrogance".

"The Taoiseach's speech was merely a back-slapping exercise which failed to address the growing polarisation in our society under Fine Gael and Labour and no new vision for the future," said the Sinn Féin leader.

“This Fine Gael Ard Fheis saw unbridled arrogance from Government Ministers entirely insulated from the effects of their policies.”

“Fine Gael no longer has any mandate for the socially destructive agenda it is imposing in Government.”

Mr Adams said the next election would be a choice between a Fine Gael or a Sinn Féin-led Government with “diametrically opposed” visions for Irish society.

He also criticised the Taoiseach’s failure to elaborate on the North in his keynote address in Castlebar.

“It was notable that the Taoiseach barely mentioned the North in the course of his address,” said Mr Adams. “This is because he views the North as a foreign country.”

“At the recent Stormont talks, the Taoiseach shamefully allied himself with the British Tories and tried to nationalise Fine Gael’s austerity agenda. He failed.”

The Stormont House Agreement was achieved despite, not because of this Fine Gael-led Government.”