Higgins fixes his binoculars firmly on Frankfurt

DÁIL SKETCH:AS EUROPEAN economic matters played out in Brussels yesterday, the Socialist Party's Joe Higgins was worried in the Dáil about Ireland's apparent retreat from Frankfurt in the face of German forces.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, who was taking the Order of Business, was reminded of his “Frankfurt’s way or Labour’s way” election campaign remark when referring to Ireland’s attempt to win the economic war.

Higgins was concerned about the apparently empty Brussels agenda and the absence of such items as a lower interest rate for Ireland and bondholders paying up. What, he wondered, had happened to the Tánaiste’s “forced march on Frankfurt”?

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald was also worried about matters in Brussels, accusing Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Government of a “U-turn”.

Gilmore remained upbeat, even attracting applause from some enthusiastic new Government backbenchers.

“As far as the country’s strategy and approach are concerned, what the Taoiseach is doing is representing Ireland and doing the very best for the country,” he declared. “There is no U-turn of any kind.” An unimpressed Higgins suggested Ireland was retreating from Frankfurt, Kenny having waved an economic white flag.

“The reality is that the Taoiseach and the Government are in full flight before the wrath of Chancellor Merkel,” said Higgins.

Gilmore showed the kind of irritation which manifested itself in Bertie Ahern in the days when Higgins was the only Opposition TD to rattle the then taoiseach.

“Not unpredictably, deputy Higgins is already declaring a sell-out, capitulation or various other denunciations before there is any outcome,” said Gilmore.

“He is tediously predictable in that.” When the Tánaiste referred to the banking stress tests, Fianna Fáil’s Billy Kelleher asked if Government stress levels had risen because of the Moriarty report.

Fine Gael’s Jerry Buttimer warned against Fianna Fáil inhabiting a glasshouse.

Fianna Fáil’s Seán Fleming recalled an anniversary which made the Government look uncomfortable. Two years ago yesterday, Fine Gael had moved its private members’ motion, supported by Labour, to reduce the number of Ministers of State from 15 to 12, he said. Yet 15 Ministers of State had been appointed by the new Government.

Fleming warned that a failure to implement their commitment would mean “that Fine Gael and Labour took a dishonest approach in the undermining of public confidence in the political system by voting for one thing in opposition while doing the opposite in government”.

Minister of State Lucinda Creighton remarked: “Fianna Fáil did a good job in that respect.” Fellow Minister of State Brian Hayes observed: “It gave us a master class in undermining public confidence.” Gilmore said the Government had appointed the Ministers of State to implement a very ambitious programme for government. The number was considerably less than in the case of previous governments on their formation. But he did not defend the U-turn.

At question time later, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn mentioned a number of times that Ireland was “in receivership” and nobody batted an eyelid.

By then, Higgins was back in his office, his binoculars firmly focused on Frankfurt.